Israel must help the Biden administration by acting against the growing settler violence in the occupied West Bank so it can continue supporting its campaign against Hamas, according to former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren.
Oren said lack of action on this issue would increase American public pressure on the Biden administration, which is already under pressure from the party’s progressive wing.
A poll published by Gallup Nov. 30 suggests a significant partisan divide over the war in Gaza. The poll showed that generally speaking, 50% of those surveyed approve of Israel’s military action in the Hamas-led Gaza Strip and 45% disapprove. But in terms of party affiliation, the picture is different, with 71% of Republicans expressing approval of the Israeli military campaign, compared to 63% of Democrats who disapprove of it.
Israeli-American Oren is well aware of these numbers. As a former diplomat, historian, novelist and politician, he has specialized in the history of the Middle East and also in Israel-US relations. Oren served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States between 2009 and 2013. After that, he served as Knesset member for the centrist Kulanu party.
