Biden keeps pushing a Palestinian state on Bibi, and Bibi keeps pushing back. It appears that Biden is getting played, and our supposed insider influence has come to nothing. The left is outraged. It’s easy to see why.
But I think Biden is playing a longer game here. The audience for his diplomacy isn’t Bibi; it’s the Israeli public and the rest of the war cabinet, which is openly split on what happens next in Gaza. Bibi is wildly unpopular, and an election isn’t far away. Can he really run on a platform of saying no to the rest of the world and footing the entire bill for the occupation of Gaza and still win? I have my doubts.