Biden's approach to Rafah and Gaza aid is 'monument to American fecklessness'

The Biden administration is relying on a capricious style of public and private messaging in a bid to shape the conduct of Israel’s war on Gaza, but has failed to utilise any substantive pressure, analysts tell Middle East Eye.

"I think they think there's pressure. This is President Biden's view of how the relationship should work, which is publicly pretty much total support and any differences are best kept private," Matt Duss, vice president of the Center for International Policy, told Middle East Eye.

"But real pressure is using the real tools of leverage that we have in this situation. If we really want to achieve a particular policy goal - in this case get Israel to stop killing so many civilians - then we can stop sending them the bombs,” he said.

Analysts also say the Biden administration’s action’s have failed to advance its policy goal of surging more aid into Gaza.

Rather than pressuring Israel to allow more aid in, Washington has focused its humanitarian efforts on two fronts. One is the use of air-dropping supplies to Gaza, a method deemed ineffective and wholly inefficient by aid groups. The second has been through the creation of a floating pier, which was touted as a means to accelerate assistance to the people of Gaza.

“It's a matter of why we need this pier at all. Everyone recognises it's because the Israeli military is blocking aid," Dust told MEE.