US back as Israel’s unequivocal defender after Hamas attacks

News Snapshot:

The shock of a Hamas assault has restored the United States to a familiar role as unequivocal backer of Israel, using its leverage not to encourage calm but to shield its ally. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has historically had rocky relations with Democratic presidents such as Joe Biden over the Israeli leader’s opposition to Palestinian sovereignty and engagement with Iran and, most recently, his hard-right government’s overhaul of the judiciary. Biden had already turned a page with Netanyahu in pursuit of a potentially landmark Israeli-Saudi normalization deal. That prospect is now likely on hold, but the violence has also pushed...