While the Biden Administration may count this as a win, it IS NOT. Mere hours after Biden supposedly laid down the law to Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that aid to Gaza would flow through the Erez Gate.

The Hill wrote it up thusly:

Israel’s wartime Cabinet approved the opening of a key border crossing in northern Gaza as pressure has mounted for the region to get more critical humanitarian aid access to struggling Palestinians.
The government will take immediate steps to open the Erez border crossing in northern Gaza, according to a statement from Israel’s prime minister’s office shared by Israeli media channels.

But the devil is indeed in all the details. First of all, Biden’s pithy little lecture yesterday afternoon was probably a word salad with everyone on the Israel end of the phone looking at each other and wondering WTH is he blathering on about? 

Then you have Secretary of State Anthony Blinken adding his bit to the dialogue. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Biden’s message.

‘With regard to our policy in Gaza, look I’ll just say this; If we don’t see the changes that we need to see, there will be a change in our policy,’ he said during a press conference in Brussels where he is attending a NATO meeting.

Not to mention the fact that Blinken and everyone else is totally on board with blaming Israel killing of the World Central Kitchen workers. 

Biden will likely go to his grave thinking his lecture, if it even resembled that, worked given Israel’s next move. 

I have heartburn about this entire thing. First of all, everyone is completely happy to blame Israel for everything that goes wrong. Nowhere in the news reports can I find a scintilla of sympathy or concern for those Israelites who are still grappling with the aftermath of the October 7 attacks. I haven’t seen anyone in the Biden Administration portray concern for the families of the hostages …let alone the HOSTAGES themselves. 

There are STILL hostages held in Gaza by the Hamas terrorists. I hope and pray they are still alive, yet there’s a pragmatic part of me that also believes the worst has happened. 

So this latest move, under pressure from both the U.S. and the world is not a good one in my opinion.

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby: "We're looking for concrete steps to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza…If there's no changes to their policy and their approaches then there's going to have to be changes to ours." pic.twitter.com/VTYscchJ9J

— CSPAN (@cspan) April 4, 2024

Not. At. All. 

A senior Netanyahu aide told reporters the security cabinet approved the opening of the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip for the first time since October 7.

The crossing was used for entry of Palestinian workers to Israel and was attacked by Hamas on October 7. Since then, Israel rejected U.S. requests to open it, mainly out of symbolism and principle because the crossing was attacked by Hamas, according to Israeli officials.

Read that again. The Erez Gate is one of the places, among other avenues, that Hamas used to attack Israel on October 7, 2023. The result was men, women, and children raped, brutally murdered, burned alive, and taken hostage. 

Yet, the Biden Administration is publicly and I mean very PUBLICLY is telling Israel that they and only they are the ones who need to stand down. 

100% Israel has followed the laws of war, have implemented measure to protect civilians & prevent harm, more than any military in history under even close to similar context (there is no comparison). There has been no evidence Israel targeted aid workers, journalists, or… https://t.co/eMBCyQPfRL

— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) April 4, 2024

Yet, all the reports are pointing the finger of blame at Israel for the attack, yet give Hamas a pass on everything they do. 

I’m truly not sure that Israel’s move to reopen the Erez Gate is a good idea in the short or long term. Hamas is gaining everything in a very real sense, while Israel is losing. We really can’t afford that. ISRAEL can’t afford that. 

The thing is, Hamas is going to believe that the reopening of the Erez Gate is one step towards capitulation by Israel. 

“We are committed to our demands: the permanent ceasefire, comprehensive and complete withdrawal of the enemy out of the Gaza Strip, the return of all displaced people to their homes, allowing all aid needed for our people in Gaza, rebuilding the Strip, lifting the blockade and achieving an honorable prisoner exchange deal,” Haniyeh said in a televised speech marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day.

The exchange he referred to would be a release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for Israeli hostages being held by militants in Gaza since Oct. 7.

Senator John Fetterman (whose support of Israel is unwavering) had this response:

Hamas is confident we're going to capitulate—but it's never going to be me. Hamas only deserves elimination.

This war is the sum total of daily, raw tragedies.

The vast majority of the harshest criticism & all responsibility for this war belongs to Hamas.

Stand with Israel. pic.twitter.com/YHsPFMrGkE

— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 3, 2024

Unfortunately the Biden Administration and too many around the world think that the only way forward is for Israel to completely stand down and let Hamas have their way. 

The President of the United States has reportedly asked the Prime Minister of Israel to surrender to Hamas (yes that's what it means to cave to Hamas demands in negotiations).

How can you stabilize northern Gaza by allowing Hamas freedom of transit to northern Gaza?

— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) April 4, 2024

I truly hope that the Israel re-opening the Erez Gate won’t backfire on us all, and especially Israel. 

Feature Photo Credit: Israel Gaza chess via iStock, cropped and modified