Biden Is Trying to Rein In Israel. Is It Working?

from The New York Times I'm Michael. babbaro this is the. [Music]. daily over the past 8 weeks what started. as unwavering public support of Israel. from President Biden and his cabinet has. now given way to something else too many. innocent Palestinians have been killed. frankly the scale of Civilian suffering.

and the images and videos coming from. Gaza are devastating growing skepticism. of Israel's approach the way Israel. defends itself matters it is capable of. neutralizing the threat posed by Hamas. while minimizing harm to innocent men. women and children and it has an. obligation to do so and at times open. disapproval of its tactics I have. repeatedly made clear to Israel's. leaders that protecting pales in.

civilians in Gaza is both a moral. responsibility and a strategic. imperative today chief White House. correspondent Peter Baker reports on the. public and private ways that the Biden. White House is trying to influence. Israel's conduct and whether it's. [Music]. [Applause]. working.

it's Friday December. [Music]. 8th Peter good morning I just want to. explain where you are as best I can tell. you seem to be at the White House in the. kind of room where somebody might walk. by and say. something I am good morning I'm at the. White House I'm in a broom CET we call. the Press. Room and uh we have pool duty today so. I'm here to follow the president around.

whatever he ends up doing right so if. there's some ambient noise that's the. cost of working out of the White House. yeah I'm afraid so so we wanted to talk. to you Peter as a White House. correspondent because over the past week. or so as the ceasefire between Israel. and Hamas has ended and this war has. resumed in a very Fierce way the way. that the Biden Administration the way. the White House talks about Israel and. specifically how Israel is conducting.

its war against Hamas has changed in a. very conspicuous way well it has you're. right you've heard in the last few days. the vice president the secretary of. state Secretary of Defense issuing much. sharper warnings to Israel that they. have a responsibility to avoid civilian. cases and not just they have a. responsibility but they aren't living up. to that responsibility it's a much. different emphasis and it represents I. think the frustrations about how these. Reales have been conducted ining the war.

that there's just too many civilian. casualties there's too much Bloodshed. and that these images are hurting both. Israel and the United States around the. world these are not people who are. responsible for the October 7th attack. but are paying the price for it and. that's something that the United States. that the Biden Administration is. increasingly upset about that this is. not good on the ground and it's not good. around the world right and that change. in tone really stands out because it is. so profoundly different from the way.

that this President and this white house. and administration talked about this war. at the very start in the days after the. October 7th attacks inside of Israel and. that's where I really want to start with. you kind of understanding the. president's Journey from there to here. so so just kind of take us back to the. beginning well at the beginning of. course on October 7th President Biden. was hly in Israel's Corner good. afternoon today the people of Israel are. under attack he came out in the. beginning said that the United States.

stands with Israel we will not ever fail. to have their back you know I am with. Israel and not only that he just. understood and viscerally expressed the. trauma and the outrage and the the pain. that Israelis were feeling innocent. people murdered wounded entire families. taken hostage by Hamas and he was just. reciting one atrocity after another it. was not an antiseptic description of. what had happened and it was a very.

personal view on his part and Jill and I. are praying for those families who've. been impacted by this violence we grieve. with those who' have lost their loved. ones lost a piece of their soul and. within a few days he jumps on the plane. jumps on Air Force One I actually with. him on that plane during that trip fly. all the way across the world to Israel. Mr Prime Minister I'm very happy to be. back in Israel with you why is he going. that far he's going there to give them a. hug almost in a literal sense he. literally hugs BB Netanyahu on karmac I.

want to say to the people of. Israel their courage their commitment. their bravery is uh is stunning and he. hugs the Israeli people and he says I'm. with you this is Joe Biden at his. empathetic best it's also Joe Biden at. his most pro-israel which of course is a. different point of view than a lot of. Democrats have these days well well. let's talk about that I mean on some. level the president being supportive of. Israel after a terror attack isn't all. that surprising given the United.

States's historic alliance with the. country but as you're hinting at it felt. for Biden personal on a level and you. could hear that in his speeches and in. these literal and figurative hugs where. does that come from where does that come. from well first of all you have to. remember that Joe Biden is of a. different generation than most Americans. and most of his fellow Democrats he is. of the generation where people talked. about the Holocaust at the dining room. table his father talked to him about.

America's failure to do more to stop the. Holocaust early on and how that was. shameful that the world allowed that to. happen this is something that Joe Biden. grew up with and when he gets to the. Senate he often told the story and he. tells it now almost every day I told the. story before and I'll tell it again of. my first meeting with an Israeli Prime. Minister 50 years ago as a young Senator. about going to Israel in 1973 just. before the 1973 yam kapor War he gold of. my year and how she's the famous prime.

minister of Israel without her looking. at me she said to me knowing I'd hear. her why do you look so worried Senator. Biden and I said worried like of course. I'm worried when she he says he's. worried about the Jewish people she. tells him don't worry Senator we. Israelis have a secret. weapon we have nowhere else to go don't. worry about us we have nowhere else to. go and he he takes a lot of meaning from.

that so he's been talking about this for. a long time right in fact he recites. that story about Golden Mayer during his. recent trip to Israel as if to say I. come here as somebody with a lot of. personal connection and rapport with. this country I'm not a newcomer. absolutely you know he has said and he. said that on that trip uh you don't have. to be Jewish to be a Zionist right. that's quite a statement to make. obviously Joe Biden is not Jewish but he. expressed is you know a real connection.

to the Israeli project and it's a way. you don't hear from more modern. Democrats it's not something you hear. from younger members of the party this. is something born of his time and he has. not changed in that way he is a big. supporter of Israel going back from the. beginning and that's come to this moment. but I caution this while you feel that. rage don't be consumed by it but in that. same speech he also issues his caution. after 911 we were enraged in the United.

States while we sought Justice and got. Justice we also made mistakes he says I. understand your rage I understand your. feelings we had the same thing at 911. but don't make the mistake that we made. after 911 I've made wartime decisions I. know the choices are never clear or easy. for a. leadership there's always cost but it. requires being deliberate requires. asking very hard questions and what he's. saying in effect is don't go too far.

right that you will lose the world right. now you have the world's sympathy if you. respond with excess if you respond too. aggressively then you will lose that and. he's clearly referring to the Iraq War. he doesn't say that in the speech but. that's clearly the inference and he. remember he had voted for that as a. senator and came to regret it right and. it felt like he was anticipating that. Israel might react in a way that. required such a warning it didn't feel. like a warning issue just for the sake. of a warning it felt like Biden was.

saying I know you're about to respond. with extraordinary force yeah it didn't. come out of the blue everybody. understands Israel's history the history. of Israel is to respond with. overpowering Force it's their Doctrine. their Doctrine is we will you come after. us we will come after you 10 times as. hard and the reason of course is to. establish a sense of deterrence so that. people don't do it again and Biden knew. this but he also knew that that. overwhelming Force had a cost and the. cost would be the ground in terms of.

Civilian lives and the cost would be. internationally in terms of Israel's. position in the world right and in fact. even at that point where Biden is. issuing this warning Israel has already. started a pretty major bombardment of. air strikes in Gaza so I'm curious how. Biden starts to marry this public. support of Israel with a kind of. enforcement of this warning he's issued. how does he start to ensure. that Israel is going to heed his.

admonition not to in a sense overreact. but part of the effect of his hug of BB. Netanyahu and the Israeli government is. to build up The credibility to then say. I'm on your side you know how much I'm. on your side so here's my private advice. about how you go about doing it and my. private advice is be careful and in. Israel they actually call it the bear. hug and by the bear hug in Hebrew they. bear hug isn't just a a hug of affection. it's a hug of I'm controlling you a.

little bit right and that's how they see. Biden that's the strategy that he's. applying here no daylight in public but. listen to me behind the scenes because. you know I have your back and I'm the. only guy who has your back like this and. so he begins to apply pressure right he. begins to say you know are you really. sure you want to do it this way he does. it through questions by the way at first. he he does sort of a Socratic thing is. this really the way you've done it what. have you thought through about the next. day what about this what about that and. in doing so of course telling them how. he thinks they should go forward so.

these are conversations that the. president is having conversations that. sounds like that are filled with. Socratic questions I assume with the. prime minister of Israel B Netanyahu yes. in fact they're talking like all the. time especially at first I mean I think. they've talked more than a dozen times. in the first uh six seven weeks of this. crisis and it's not just him he is. sending one Administration official. after another to Israel to basically. hold their hands I mean it's almost like. there's never a moment when there isn't. a senior Administration official on the. ground there the Secretary of State of. Defense a senior General the CIA.

director whatever and the idea seems to. be we are with you but we are literally. going to be in the room here and we. going to be looking over your shoulder. in a sense they want to be in the room. not just hearing about things afterwards. well talk about some of the moments and. some of the strategies where we can. understand specific attempts by the. United States to shape Israel's response. during this conflict the first and most. important priority for the Biden team is. to keep the war from expanding Beyond.

Gaza to other parts of the region that's. the thing that President Biden fears the. most in those early days and in those. early days there was real uncertainty. about how this could blow up there was. Hezbollah in southern Lebanon tossing. Rockets across the border at the. Israelis the Israelis there's some. sentiment in Israel to go ahead and go. after them as well to really launch a. new war against uh Southern Lebanon and. Hezbollah they have 100,000 some Rockets. aimed at them there and the Biden team. doesn't want that they do not want to Wi. this War and what Biden does is he says.

look you worry about Hamas I'll take. care of Hezbollah because I'm going to. send two carriers groups to the region. and they will see that if they get you. know involved in this war in a big way. they're going to have to answer to us to. the United States and that basically. talks this Israelis out of expanding and. escalating this war Beyond Gaza that's. that's the number one most important. priority for Biden coming in right that. strategy from the US seems to have. largely been effective it hasn't. expanded into a regional conflict right. okay where else do we see the US.

pressure well another place where we see. it is how Israel delays the beginning of. the ground war right it doesn't go. immediately over the border into Gaza as. much as I think there was a desire to do. that Biden says wait a second before you. do it think it through what are you. going to do here what are you going do. about civilians what are you going to do. you know the day after and so instead of. just jumping right into a ground war. Israel warns civilians to get out of the. way it begins telling them head to the. South and and that's where you'll be. safe it isn't adequate as far a lot of. their critics go isn't adequate as far.

as a lot of human rights groups would. tell you but it's something that Biden I. think pushes them into doing and I think. he affects their game plan from the. start so when we think about that moment. when Israel is massing troops on the. border and is about it very much seems. to invade Gaza but instead delays it and. starts issuing these massive evacuation. orders of Gaza civilians from the north. to the South you're saying behind the. scenes President Biden the. administration is very much playing a. huge role in why that happens right very.

much they're not dictating they. understand that dictating is not a good. idea with Israelis not going to take it. well but they're just really pushing on. the consequences if they don't do it. this way now if you do it we we can tell. you how this this goes they say we were. in fua we were in mosul and we can give. you advice they send in fact a general. who was in Iraq to tell the Israelis. about their American experiences doing. this kind of you know really tough Urban. Warfare. to give them a sense of what they have.

ahead of them and to make sure they have. thought it through enough before they. get started right they're also of course. pushing Israel on humanitarian Aid and. this is a tough moment Israel says at. first they're going to block a Gaza and. not allow any food water fuel into the. enclave and the Americans are saying no. no that's that's unacceptable that's too. far you cannot do that and they're. fighting with the Israelis in effect. over getting more humanit getting any. humanitarian Aid in and eventually they. start to get some in not nearly enough. according to to the to the groups but. they begin to get trucks through the.

Rafa Crossing and you begin to see some. L up by the Israelis on this grudgingly. and unhappily because they worry that. any supplies helps Hamas not necessarily. the civilians but eventually the Biden. team pushes them into allowing more. humanitarian Aid right but there's a. limit to how far the Biden. Administration is able to influence. things I mean just look at the air. strikes they're so overwhelming so. powerful right even if you don't credit. the exact numbers issued by the Hamas.

run Health Ministry in Gaza clearly. there are thousands and thousands of. civilians who have died here because of. these air strikes so how surgical are. they really I think the Americans would. have preferred a more surgical approach. that would hit Hamas and destroy that. group without hitting so many civilians. but it's hard to say how you do that. right because Hamas is so integrated. into the community and distinguishing. between the two obviously has been hard. but the Americans been very frustrated I. think behind the scenes as how uh heavy. the toll has been among the civilian.

casualties of those air strikes right. this has got to be the single biggest. source of American frustration the fact. that Israel's aerial bombardment. especially has produced such. staggeringly high levels of Civilian. deaths in Gaza at this point the health. Ministry in Gaza puts that number at. well over 15,000 which includes. combatants and civilians thousands of. which Hamas says are children yeah.

absolutely and it's a concern for the. Biden team not just because of the. obvious uh emotion of of of watching. people who didn't have anything to do. with the attack of October 7th pay a. price for it but also because they know. that internationally it costs Israel. support and domestically here as well. right it's it's it's cost Biden's. support among his fellow Democrats who. are watching what's happening in Gaza. with great concern great upset sometimes. great outrage and their outrage of Biden. for for not doing more to reign in uh.

the Israelis so he's under a great deal. of pressure from all sides right I mean. another friction point a really. important friction point is what happens. the day after right when Hamas is. destroyed for what have you when Israel. is done with its War at least the main. part of the war what comes next how do. you govern Gaza you can't allow Hamas to. be in charge anymore but who then takes. over and there's a real difference of. opinion between Washington and Jerusalem. about this you know president bid has. been pretty straightforward even in. public saying do not reoccupy Gaza.

that's not a good idea and he wants to. see the Palestinian Authority which. governs at least in part the West Bank. take over Gaza in some sort of. revitalized version he he says and. that's not where BB Netanyahu and most. Israeli government officials are they. don't trust the palestin authority they. don't think much of it uh and they don't. like the idea of anybody else being in. charge maybe not who said in public I. don't think there's anybody other than. the IDF who can be in charge in Gaza. when the War part of this is over so.

there are real loggerheads over that. right I mean that is the moment where. Netanyahu openly defies President. Biden's wishes here because he goes on. TV and I think he's now done it twice. and said Israel will play a major role. in the security of Gaza which to many. sounds a lot like Israel will control. Gaza and to some it sounds like Israel. will occupy Gaza yeah I mean you know. it's not clear that necessarily means. occupation because you have heard. Israelis say we don't want to get back. in the way we used to they pulled out of. course in 2005 but they plan to control.

it what does that mean control it we. don't know whether it might be some kind. of force relocations that's something. the Biden Administration has made very. clear they are against so there's a real. friction point there and that's going to. come to a head at some point so the. question of day after is another way in. which Biden has realized the limitations. of his influence over this conflict. right exactly but that's a long-term. issue in the short term there's so many. others on the table including for. instance the hostages really important. important priority for the president and.

he does manage to convince bi Netanyahu. to pause the fighting in order to have a. Exchange in effect with Hamas this is an. important deal that he Brokers it takes. weeks he appoints a secret cell of. negotiators working with gutter the gulf. Emirate which is friendly with both. Hamas and the United States President. himself is getting on the phone with. Netanyahu and with uh the Amir of gutter. to break uh the last kind of obstacles. to this and they do have a deal they do. pause was the fighting for basically a. week or so in order to release some of.

the hostages about 110 hostages get out. mainly women and children but there's. still another 100 or so in captivity. including a number of Americans and at. some point this hostage deal breaks down. Hamas refuses to put more women on the. list and to the extent that the. Americans that hoped this pause and. fighting would give them some breathing. room to allow more humanitarian Aid in. and to maybe shape the next phase of the. combat maybe even to see if the combat.

might not have to resume quite at the. same level that's the test for the Biden. strategy here right I recall. understanding from coverage that you. wrote Peter during this period that the. United States saw the ceasefire the paus. and fighting during the hostage deal as. a chance to reshape the war and that was. the hope and then the resumption occurs. and my strong sense is that they don't. quite feel that that is what happens No.

in fact they specifically say don't go. into Southern Gaza where you have told. everybody to go Flee for their safety. and then start indiscriminately bombing. again and they pushed the Israelis to. say you need to do more tactical more. targeted kind of strikes be more. surgical about what you do and the. Israelis basically they take some of. this to Heart they do you know issue. some maps saying here are some safe. places for civilians to go but otherwise. they basically go into the south in full.

force and it be you the war suddenly uh. that had paused for a number of days and. giving everybody kind of a chance to. catch their breath is back on full boore. and suddenly we're back where we were. before the uh the hostage. exchange and this is an important Pivot. Point that's when you begin to see. Senior Administration officials almost. like in a chorus begin in in public to. really ratchet up the pressure on Israel. they need to stop doing things the way. they were doing them you're hearing them.

say you heard Secretary of State Tony. blinkin say they can't do in the South. what they did in the north we need to. have a different way of approaching you. hear uh Lloyd Austin saying look if you. go after the Palestinian civilians all. you're doing is radicalizing them and. creating a whole new generation of. enemies and and this is a very different. tone than you heard from the B. Administration for the first 78 weeks. right suddenly the public rhetoric from. the B Administration is starting to it. seems more accurately reflect the.

private pressure that the president has. been putting on Israel exactly and the. assumption is that's because the. Israelis aren't listening to the private. messaging anymore and so by taking it. public you are reinforcing your point. and pushing them even. harder. [Music].

we'll be right. back the week-long truce between Israel. and Hamas is over Israel says it has. resumed combat operations and says Hamas. quote violated the operational pause and. in addition fired toward Israeli. territory the new Israeli air strikes. raining down on Gaza overnight after the. temporary ceasefire collapse the death.

toll climbing in Gaza Israel pounded the. south of Gaza today the same region they. had told Palestinians in the north to. evacuate to the Israeli Army says it's. engaged in the heaviest fighting since. it began its ground Invasion 5 weeks ago. about 170,000 people in car Unis have. been warned to leave for safety but a. spokesman for the UN children's charity. UNICEF says there's nowhere safe for. people to.

[Music]. go so Peter the post hostage deal post. ceasefire Israeli assault of Southern. Gaza clearly has not so far seemed to. conform to the wishes of the American. government and that makes me want to. understand if President Biden wanted to. pressure Israel much further on issues. like reducing civilian deaths what tools.

does the president and his. administration have at their disposal to. really do that Beyond Socratic questions. and evening phone calls with Netanyahu. saying I'd like you to do this a little. bit differently and Beyond the public. statements that Biden's deputies are now. making how much further could Biden go. well I mean the administration the the. Americans have extraordinary influence. tools if they want to use them first of. all of course the United States is the.

main supplier for Israel's military. operation at this point they need. American interceptors for their anti. missile batteries they need American. ammunition they need American Arms and I. think that that is a huge instrument if. the B Administration wanted to use it. now they're not using it in a public way. there is some suggestion as to maybe. quietly whether they're holding back or. delaying certain shipments but publicly. they are not conditioning armed supplies. you know with any kind of Demands about. how the war would be conducted but. you're hearing Democrats say that in.

Congress who are talking about this $ 14. billion dollar that President Biden is. asked for for additional Aid a lot of. Democrats saying well why don't we. attach conditions to that very explicit. conditions about how they conduct the. war and so far the bid Administration. hasn't ruled that out but hasn't gone. along with it either I mean what this. makes clear is that Biden does have. meaningful leverage over Israel in this. conflict if he wants to use it and I. think what this seems to reveal is a bit. of a paradox at the center of what the.

Biden Administration is up to in this. war it says it wants to support Israel. in its objective of defeating Hamas and. increasingly makes clear it wants to. limit civilian deaths but it's not. willing to do anything to lower civilian. deaths that might jeopardize Israel's. objective in defeating Hamas and. therefore civilian deaths are going to. keep growing so basically these two. stated us goals just do not seem. compatible at the moment well they're.

definitely in Conflict they do not want. to undermine Israel obviously they are. very straightforwardly on Israel side. here but they are very concerned that. the civilian casualties are excessive. and that they don't want to cost Israel. standing in the world they are the one. country that stands by Israel time and. time again when the rest of the world is. condemning them they're the ones that. block security Council resolutions of. the United Nations that are blasting. Israel they're the ones who Supply them. the arms so you know the United States. has such a unique relationship with.

Israel it is both a partner and in some. ways a mentor so it's a symbiotic. relationship in that way this is why. Biden can in fact do what he has done to. influence things but he does not want to. go so far as to seem to undercut them. and it's a balancing act that some. people would say you know would argue. about whether he's been successful at. but that's the treacherous territory. he's in I I just want to make sure I. understand what you're saying because it. feels important by Biden feels confident. that a relationship in which he's at the.

table having these calls with Netanyahu. and able to apply private pressure even. when it's not all that effective is a. better scenario than one in which he. through pressure perhaps too much. pressure in the eyes of Israel alienates. it and has no influence over the way it. conducts this war that's the calculation. yes exactly right if you talk to. Administration official what you hear. them say is if we didn't support them. they would do this anyway they wouldn't. be moderating in any f. they would find other ways they have. their own weapons they would go to other.

places to get weapons if they had to. they would do whatever was necessary so. from Biden's point of view rightly or. wrongly it's better to be at the table. and be able to have some influence than. to be on the outside without any but is. there a point Peter based on your. reporting on this President and your. larger reporting on the history of. America's relationship with Israel and. the world where this conflict we're. talking about and the calculations that. Biden is making they just might change. where he might decide that the civilian.

deaths are so great and popular opinion. of the war becomes so dim that he would. take this harder-edged approach even if. it means challenging Israel's objective. of destroying Hamas and even if it means. in some way jeopardizing America's. relationship with Israel and its ability. to influence it yeah I think that's. right I talked to an analy the other day. he says look he thinks there's four to. six weeks left in this policy that a. certain point this be comes just too big. a burden for the United States to handle.

if it doesn't change on the ground that. eventually the pressure on Biden to do. more to intervene will grow so large. both domestically and internationally. that he will have to change course and. he will have to be much more aggressive. in trying to pull back on the Israeli. offensive and that's why you hear you. know Tony blinkin said weeks not months. in terms of how far this offensive. should go and in private I've been. hearing lately some Israeli officials. saying look yes yes weeks not months and. they're trying to get in I think under. the wire here I think they also see a.

short window here in which they have to. operate before the pressure on Biden. grows so tense that he has to be more. aggressive in his. intervention Peter I'm curious if that. four to six weeks becomes influenced by. something like what we're seeing Israel. do over the past 24 hours which is to. say we are being more successful in. killing Hamas Fighters and leaders than. perhaps the world realizes Netanyahu. coming out and saying we've killed half.

of hamas's Battalion commanders is that. an effort by Israel to say no no no give. us more time because this is actually. working and does the US agree with that. does the US think it's working yeah I. mean this is the problem right how what. is a metric for Success here what does. it mean to destroy Hamas it's not a. numbers game you can't sit there and say. okay we've now killed x000 Hamas. Fighters or militants or terrorists and. therefore we're good to go but I think. what you're hearing when you here that. Israelis say we've killed this many. Battalion commanders and this many.

leaders is a way for them to eventually. declare that they have been successful. and allow them perhaps at some point in. those next four to six weeks to say okay. we are done with this phase of the. operation doesn't mean they're going to. stop all military action by the way but. at some point they seem to be laying the. groundwork to begin phasing back and to. say we did accomplish what we wanted. because you're never going to get every. single person who is a Hamas member or. supporter so they need to find some way. to begin to say this is working from.

what you're saying it's very clear that. the US would like Israel to start to. wrap up the most intense phase of this. war but the one person who's not. forcefully signaling this view from the. US publicly is President Biden himself. and I'm curious why Biden seems. reluctant to do that if it's clearly now. the policy of of his. administration yeah it's fascinating to.

watch actually in the same week you've. heard the vice president secretary of. defense and Secretary of State say such. strong things the president himself. first of all hasn't given a lot of. formal remarks but where he has. addressed this at say some campaign. fundraisers he has emphasized again and. again how much he supports Israel and he. not repeated some of the same things. that his own top Administration. officials have said now why is that you. know it could be a good cop bad cop. diplomacy thing I'm still the one who's. on your side but it's both strategy and. I think you know his own personality and.

his own feelings about Israel he says. that October 7th attack was the worst. most deadliest day for Jews in the world. since the Holocaust and he does not want. to repeat what his father told him were. the mistakes of the outside world in the. 1930s and so he's allowing his staff to. do it he's allowing his top officials to. do it they're not freelancing but that's. not where he's going to be personally. applying the pressure at this point and. if your strategy is at some point that. there is a limit to this weeks not. months then perhaps it makes sense from.

their point of view to hold back the. president because he can still come in. later and increase that pressure and. they understand that there's a. difference when the president himself. says it than when the people around him. say it so in the end Biden's decision to. stay personally on the side of Israel. and not embody his administration's. ambivalence In This Moment is strategic. it's keeping his powder dry so that when. he does deliver that message publicly it. has all the more power but you're saying. at the end of the day it's a reflection.

of the reality that he's personally. inclined to support Israel in this. offensive against Hamas because of his. deeply felt views about Israel and what. it means what it represents I think. that's exactly right strategic and. personal these two things are married in. Joe Biden at the. moment that could change and we'll see. whether it does or not but for him right. now he does not want to be the person. out there banging away on on the. Israelis even though he is of course. privately very concerned about the way.

they're conducting this. [Music]. operation well Peter thank you very much. we appreciate it thank. [Music]. you on Thursday as Israel pushed. civilians in southern Gaza into ever. smaller pockets of land the Israeli. military offered what it said was. evidence that Hamas militants were. firing Rockets from humanitarian safe.

zones in the. area such safe zones were created at the. urging of the US to protect Palestinian. civilians raising the possibility that. Hamas is now using them as a base of. operations and that Israel might treat. them as a military. Target but as of Thursday night the. times could not immediately verify. Israel's claims and Hamas did not.

respond to the. [Music]. allegations we'll be right. back here's what else you need to. another. day on Thursday a Texas judge granted a. request to allow an abortion despite the.

state's strict ban on the. procedure the case involves a pregnant. woman whose fetus was diagnosed with a. fatal condition it is believed to be. among the first successful attempts in. the nation to seek a court approved. abortion since the Supreme Court. overturned Row versus weed last year and. allowed States like Texas to ban. abortion abortions although the ruling. applies to a single pregnant woman it is.

part of a larger legal effort by. abortion rights Advocates to ensure that. even states that ban abortion still. allow for medical. exceptions today's episode was produced. by Stella tan Olivia Nat summer tamod. and Michael Simon Johnson it was edited. by paig cowt contains original music by. Dan Powell and r misto and was. engineered by Alyssa Moxley our theme.

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