Is there any red line?

Bob Woodward’s new book says that Biden frequently expressed profane views about Benjamin Netanyahu’s warmongering. Alas, private grumbling with no follow-through has had the predictable impact on Netanyahu’s actions (i.e. none.) The administration seems finally to at least be taking some baby steps toward actual consequences with respect to the policy of mass starvation in North Gaza:

The Biden administration sent a letter to the Israeli government demanding it act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, suggesting US military aid could be in jeopardy.

The Sunday letter, jointly written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin,  is addressed to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. It marks a significant new step by the US to try to compel Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

They write that the US has deep concerns about the situation and ask for “urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory.”

Since this Spring, the amount of aid delivered to Gaza has dropped more than 50% and the quantity delivered in September “was the lowest of any month during the past year,” they added.

The deadline falls after the US presidential election on November 5.

Despite the stern warning, however, the US has continued to provide military assistance to Israel, including an advanced air defense system and US troops which began to arrive in the country on Monday.

Future US aid could be at risk, however. The letter, dated October 13, notes that the US State and Defense departments, under US law, “must continually assess” Israel’s adherence to its assurances made earlier this year that it would not restrict aid flows into the enclave.

The deadline being after Election Day makes it somewhat more credible, although if Bibi thinks it’s just a bluff it would be hard to blame him. And needless to say if Trump wins it’s moot because the full spigot would be turned back on January 20 irrespective of what happens before that.

In related news, “punish Netanyahu by giving him his choice of president” seems like one of the dumbest rationales for a protest vote in known human history, but the “Democrats lose…hard-left majority coalition governs America” causal chain is always missing about a dozen links.