Israel has been truly fighting with one hand tied behind its back, and all to appease the Biden administration and worldwide opinion.

That, of course, is a consideration that Hamas did not show Israel on October 7th, and after the rescue of four hostages, we now have testimony that Palestinian so-called “civilians” are holding on to hostages and using them as slave labor. Even with all the restraint that Israel has shown – perhaps too much – the mewling hypocrites of the United Nations have whined and blamed and complained that Israel is so, so mean, defending themselves in a war they didn’t start and rescuing hostages and getting IDF cooties everywhere they go in Gaza.

But even all the complaints from the UN doesn’t quite explain this latest move by Israel. They have announced a “tactical pause” on all fighting during daylight hours in order to move humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The “tactical pause,” which applies to about 12 kilometers (7½ miles) of road in the Rafah area, falls far short of a complete cease-fire in the territory that has been sought by the international community, including Israel’s top ally, the United States. It could help address the overwhelming needs of Palestinians that have surged in recent weeks with Israel’s incursion into Rafah.

The army said that the daily pause would begin at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) and last until 7 p.m. (1600 GMT) and continue until further notice. It’s aimed at allowing aid trucks to reach the nearby Israel-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, the main entry point, and travel safely to the Salah a-Din highway, a main north-south road, the military said. The crossing has had a bottleneck since Israeli ground troops moved into Rafah in early May.

COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees aid distribution in Gaza, said the route would increase the flow of aid to other parts of Gaza, including Khan Younis, the coastal area of Muwasi and central Gaza. Hard-hit northern Gaza, an early target in the war, is served by goods entering from the north.

The military said that the pause, which begins as Muslims start marking the Eid Al-Adha holiday, came after discussions with the United Nations and other aid agencies.

This seems like a very strange move for Israel to be making at the moment, but it may have a stronger strategic purpose. As anyone who has been paying attention will remember, Hezbollah has been trying to join in the war since the very beginning. That aggressive posturing by Hezbollah led to a massive evacuation of many northern Israeli border towns. Earlier this month, rockets launched by Hezbollah set off wildfires in northern Israel, which did burn hundreds of acres and some evacuated homes. Israel later eliminated a Hezbollah senior commander in a targeted strike. Hezbollah fired even more rockets into Israel.

Massive fires blazing across northern Israel after rockets were fired by Hezbollah pic.twitter.com/tKDOfOzJzq

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) June 15, 2024

Which leads us to this warning from the IDF. It sounds to me like they are preparing to open up a second front in the north to fight Hezbollah directly.

“Hezbollah’s increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation, one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in an English-language video statement.

Hezbollah and Israel have been escalating cross-border strikes. After rocket attacks caused massive fires in the north, Israel last week killed commander Taleb Abdullah, the most senior official killed in the fighting. Hezbollah responded with unprecedented rocket barrages on northern Israel.

Hagari said Hezbollah “has been escalating its attacks against Israel. Since deciding to join the war that Hamas started on October 7th, Hezbollah has fired over 5,000 rockets; anti-tank missiles, and explosive UAVs from Lebanon at Israeli families, homes, and communities.”

He said it was “jeopardizing the future of Lebanon so that it can be a shield for Hamas. A shield for the Hamas terrorists who murdered the elderly, raped women, burned children, and kidnapped Jews, Muslims, and Christians, during their massacre on October 7th.”

“When we say that we will not let October 7th happen again on any one of our borders, we mean it,” Hagari added.

Noting Hezbollah’s “refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” which ended the Second Lebanon War and mandated the terror group withdraw north of the Litani River, Hagari said that “because of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure; weapons and fire at Israel from the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, and because of Lebanon’s failure to enforce 1701 on Hezbollah, Israel will take the necessary measures to protect its civilians, until security along our border with Lebanon is restored.”

Hagari warned that “one way or another we will ensure the safe and secure return of Israelis to their homes in northern Israel. That is not up for negotiation.”

You know who doesn’t want Israel taking on Hezbollah right now? The Biden administration. And they are trying to stop a second front before it can start in earnest.

A senior Biden adviser will travel to Israel today for meetings to avoid further escalation between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, a White House official says.

Amos Hochstein will advance efforts to avoid further escalation along the “Blue Line” between Israel and Lebanon, says the official, who did not wish to be identified.

Hochstein is a former State department official who is now a Biden advisor, and has handled diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in the past. The problem is, Hochstein isn’t going to get very far with begging Israel to ignore Hezbollah, and Hezbollah won’t be talking to Hochstein. This feels much more like Joe Biden just holding up his hands and saying “don’t,” just as he has before. It didn’t work then. It’s not going to work now. Joe Biden is seen as weak, ineffectual, and far too eager to appease Iran and their proxies, as well as stabbing Israel right in the back. Why on earth should Israel NOT knock Hezbollah straight back in the teeth at this point?

The reason why Biden wants to keep Israel from taking on Hezbollah is because he knows that the longer any armed conflict in the Middle East drags on, the more likely it is that the entire situation affects his re-election chances. Biden’s foreign policy has been an unmitigated disaster, from the failure of Afghanistan, to the money pit that Ukraine has become, to the wishy-washy wussy waffling on Israel’s engagement with Hamas and Hezbollah.

If Israel is engaging in a “tactical pause” in Gaza in order to shift gears – and manpower – to deal with Hezbollah in the north, it’s understandable. I am certain that specialized units will continue their work in trying to locate hostages within Gaza, but if the focus needs to move north in order to prevent a large-scale attack or invasion, then putting further action in Gaza on hold is likely worth it. But let’s just remember that by artificially constraining Israel, instead of just letting them get things done at the very beginning of the war, Joe Biden has prolonged a war that he never wanted to deal with. And in the process, he has helped create a left-wing protest monster which could end up devouring the Democratic National Convention in August.

Featured image: flag of Israel by edu_castro27 via Pixabay, cropped and modified, Pixabay license