Shortly after Israel launched its sweeping military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault, Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, sat down for an hour-long private meeting at the White House with a group of Muslim and Arab-American leaders. Sullivan told them the administration supported getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, but was standing behind Israel’s right to defend itself. In wars spanning Afghanistan, Ukraine and now Gaza, Sullivan is the man in the middle, trying to negotiate between allies and enemies, and sometimes among warring U.S. government agencies. The sudden outbreak of renewed conflict in the Middle East was a shock to the Biden administration, but there was an early success. And now, as the Biden administration hurtles toward the November presidential elections, Sullivan’s efforts could face the ultimate test.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 11, 2024 10:49 UTC