Joe Biden’s Middle East diplomacy is a wreck

Joe Biden prides himself on his decades of foreign-policy experience, his ability to talk tough yet be kind, and his talent for bringing opposing sides together. Touching down in Israel today, he gave Bibi Netanyahu a big hug – quite the gesture – and promptly told him he believed that ‘the other team’ – i.e. Hamas, not Israel – was responsible for the bomb that struck a hospital in Gaza last night, killing many of non-combatant Palestinians and inspiring another wave of anti-Israel protests. Biden will now set about trying to help release the hostages held by Hamas and persuading local powers to allow a secure flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.  

Israel will be grateful for Biden’s show of support. The trouble is, the President’s standing among Israel’s neighbours is increasingly low. Last night, as Biden climbed up the steps of Air Force One, the Kingdom of Jordan announced that, following the hospital bombing, it would be cancelling the emergency meeting between its ruler, Abdullah II, America’s Commander-in-Chief, the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, and Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.