Biden's Deeply Personal Connection to the Hamas Attacks on Israel

When Joe Biden visited Dachau, the infamous concentration camp in Germany, as vice president with his teenaged granddaughter, he noticed some changes. In his memoir, published two years after the 2015 visit, he wrote that the experience had been sanitized to make visitors less uncomfortable. Determined to confront the harsh reality, Biden asked the guides to take them to the gas chamber, where they "slammed the door behind us with a frightening clank."

For Biden, this experience directly connects to the recent Hamas attacks on Israel, which caused the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust. In a passionate speech from the White House, Biden said the bloodshed brought to the surface painful memories and the scars left by millennia of antisemitism and genocide of the Jewish people. The massacres and kidnappings have sparked a crisis that threatens to engulf more of the Middle East. They have also resonated deeply for the U.S. president, whose devotion to Israel is rooted in his childhood and political career.

A Longstanding Commitment

Biden's support for Israel has remained steadfast over the years, even as some corners of his Democratic Party have urged a more critical approach toward the country and its decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory. Aaron David Miller, who has advised both Democratic and Republican administrations on the Middle East, describes Biden as a politician of a generation that probably doesn't exist anymore. Biden's commitment could be tested if Israel launches an incursion into Gaza, where Hamas is headquartered, leading to further suffering for Palestinians already facing waves of retaliatory bombardment.

For now, Biden has offered only vague admonitions that Israel should follow the rules of war, which United Nations officials say are being violated by its siege tactics leading to dwindling supplies of food, medicine, and electricity. Instead, Biden's focus has been on demonstrating "unshakable" solidarity with Israel, including his remarks during a White House meeting with Jewish leaders to discuss combating antisemitism.

A Personal Connection

During his remarks, Biden recalled his visits to Dachau and the importance of teaching his grandchildren about the Holocaust and the apathy that allowed it to happen. Amy Spitalnick, a leader of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs who attended the meeting, said it's clear that Biden "feels it in his kishkes." This lesson traces back to Biden's father, who had a preoccupation with the Holocaust. Born in 1942, just three years before the end of World War II and six years before Israel's founding, Biden came of age when the world was reckoning with genocide.

Biden has met every Israeli prime minister over more than five decades in elected office, starting with Golda Meir in 1973. During his first trip to Israel after being elected senator, Meir confided in him that Israel's secret weapon was having nowhere else to go. This remark encapsulated Israel's precarious beginnings as a nation surrounded by hostile Arab countries.

Balancing Act

However, Biden also recognized the challenge of Israel relinquishing Palestinian territory seized during the Six-Day War of 1967, much of which remains under Israeli control. During a visit to Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank last year, Biden acknowledged the diminished hope for advancing the peace process. His remarks in Jerusalem during the trip reflected his efforts to balance Israel's imperiled beginnings with its current status as a regional power.

While Biden has publicly supported Israel, he has also expressed private concerns about some of its actions. Frank Jannuzi, who worked for Biden when he was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, recalled how Biden emphasized that any disagreements with Israel should be handled quietly. Biden's reasoning was that if Israel felt insecure or isolated due to America distancing itself, it would be less likely to heed US advice.

Recent Developments

Biden has occasionally departed from this approach when dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a right-wing coalition government. Despite disagreements, Biden and Netanyahu have collaborated on establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, an effort that could be derailed by the latest fighting. Following the Hamas attacks, Biden and Netanyahu have been in regular communication, with Israeli officials expressing gratitude for Biden's backing.

The US has begun shipping munitions and military hardware to Israel, and an aircraft carrier strike group has been deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean as a show of force to deter a wider conflict. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday. Biden has made it clear that the US will ensure Israel's ability to defend itself, underscoring the unwavering support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people during these challenging times.