Biden considered even modest Israeli-Palestinian peace steps impossible

Some U.S. officials believe that, for all practical purposes, Mr. Biden could reopen the office over Israeli objections.

When pressed in February about the fate of the consulate, then-State Department spokesman Ned Price said: “These things take time. Naturally, various parties are involved in such a process.”

Daniel C. Kurtzer, former US ambassador to Jerusalem in the George W. Bush administration, called the years before October 7 a missed opportunity.

“The question can be asked: ‘Why didn’t Biden act to undo what Trump had done?’” Mr. Kurtzer said.

Mr. Kurtzer admitted that Mr. Biden had inherited “a mess” on the Palestinian issue, largely because of Mr. Trump’s policies. And he said a different policy agenda likely would not have prevented last month’s murderous Hamas attack. (The United States has never had diplomatic relations with Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization.)

But Mr. Kurtzer said Mr. Biden’s approach before Oct. 7 is relevant today.

While it helped that Mr. Biden reopened dialogue with the Palestinians and provided them with assistance, Mr. Kurtzer said the things the president did not do — such as reopening the consulate or restoring legal opinion on the Western settlements Jordan Bank – ‘radiated a negative signal’. signal.

That has damaged American credibility across the Arab world, Mr. Kurtzer says, and is now complicating Mr. Biden’s efforts to support Israel. “Look how quickly the narrative changed” from sympathy to to condemnation of Israel, he said.

It remains to be seen whether Biden will push harder for a lasting peace deal this time. Some U.S. officials still see a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia as an opportunity.

But opportunities have been missed before.

In May 2021, Israeli forces bombed Gaza for 11 days in response to Hamas rocket fire, until a ceasefire stopped the fighting.

Mr. Biden lamented civilian deaths during that conflict and vowed to “continue our quiet and ruthless diplomacy” to ensure Israelis and Palestinians could coexist peacefully.

“I believe we have a real opportunity to make progress, and I am committed to working for that,” he said.

Two and a half years later, his challenge seems greater than ever.