President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will not run for reelection in 2024, on the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States.
While the announcement may dispel widespread concern surrounding the Democratic nominee’s capacity to lead — especially relative to Republican nominee Donald Trump — the issue that has prompted mass protest against the Democratic incumbent still looms large over the campaign: Biden’s virtually unconditional support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
Biden has maintained a chiefly deferential and supportive stance throughout Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Now, some see his departure as opening the possibility for a reset on U.S. policy toward Israel.
Former Biden Department of Education political appointee Tariq Habash — who resigned in January in protest of Biden’s policies on the Gaza war — notes that a significant part of the base is…