Biden's Gaza Policy Failure Was Driven by Insular Advisers and Washington Institutional Culture, Not Just Biden Himself
Source: Aymann Ismail. "Trump blames Biden for America’s worst failure. The backstory is infuriating.." October 26, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
The author's interviewee argues that America's role in Gaza's destruction wasn't just Biden's personal decision. A tight circle of loyal advisers filtered information and shut down dissent, and a Washington culture of protecting allies and avoiding conflict kept it going. Because the same patterns show up under Trump, fixing the problem means changing how foreign policy is made, not just who is president.
Conclusion
The destruction of Gaza and U.S. complicity in it resulted not merely from Biden's personal choices but from a small, loyal, politically cautious circle of advisers and a broader Washington culture that suppressed dissent and humanitarian evidence; accountability and reform therefore require addressing these systemic patterns rather than focusing only on who is president.
Premises
- Normal interagency foreign-policy deliberation did not operate on Israel; Biden relied on a small circle of foreign-policy advisers and political aides who were intensely loyal to him personally and held a dated view that questioning Israel is politically toxic.
- Advisers filtered and self-censored what reached Biden, making calculations down the chain without his knowledge, creating a stifling environment that was not directed by Biden himself.
- Brett McGurk, granted unusual authority over Middle East policy, acted as 'Israel's lawyer,' challenged humanitarian data (e.g., claiming Palestinians 'don't look skinny'), and helped bury new intelligence suggesting knowing war crimes and potential U.S. official liability.
- The World Central Kitchen killings were the moment of maximal possibility for a policy shift (evidence, political will including Pelosi's support, and moral imperative all existed), yet the administration chose not to restrain Israel and instead worked with Israelis to muddy Biden's own statements.
- Cultural and process patterns, such as officials avoiding labeling war crimes to preserve future working relationships, regular contact with Israeli but not Palestinian families, and downplaying Palestinian testimony, persist across administrations, as shown by similar behavior under Trump's team (e.g., David Milstein altering cables).
Assumptions
- Ahmed's reporting from 150+ interviews accurately represents the internal dynamics and motives of the Biden administration.
- Biden's reliance on a narrow advisory circle and its self-censorship are causally significant to the policy outcome, not merely incidental.
- Distributing responsibility to institutions and culture does not excuse Biden but is a more accurate and useful account for future reform.
- U.S. leverage (such as cutting offensive weapons) would have materially restrained Israel's conduct in Gaza.
- Similar patterns under different administrations indicate a systemic problem rather than coincidence or party-specific behavior.
- Shifts in public opinion will not produce policy change unless underlying institutional incentives (influence retention, funding capture, revolving doors) are addressed.