Is Biden the most pro-Israel president in US history?

Presidential comparisons

But just how does Biden's unequivocal support for Israel compare to the stances of previous American presidents?

US President Ronald Reagan's dealings with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 are telling.

Begin's goal was to expel the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) from Beirut and either assassinate or expel its leader, Yasser Arafat, which draws parallels with Netanyahu's present-day invasion of Gaza and his stated goal of eliminating Hamas.

In August 1982, Reagan had a tense phone call with Begin, imploring him to stop bombing the Lebanese capital in the run-up to an Israeli military invasion of Beirut. He also exerted pressure on then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon to refrain from bombing a hotel in Beirut housing foreign journalists.

Additionally, Reagan utilised UN Security Council resolutions, suspended the sale of F-16 aircraft, and restricted military and civilian assistance to compel Begin to withdraw his forces from Lebanon.

In light of the support extended by the Biden administration to Netanyahu in recent months in New York, Lawrence Korb, who served as an assistant to the Secretary of Defence in the Reagan administration, noted that the White House allowed 21 UN resolutions — that were lodged against Israel for different military actions it carried out in Lebanon, Iraq and Tunisia — to pass.

Reagan especially condemned a surprise Israeli raid on an Iraqi nuclear reactor. He backed a UN resolution denouncing the attack, openly criticising it for infringing on Iraqi sovereignty and suspended the delivery of F-16 aircraft to Israel. Furthermore, Reagan resisted pressure from Jewish lobby groups and supplied AWACS aircraft to Gulf Arab states.

Obama and the Bushes

On his part, then-US President George HW Bush leveraged loan guarantees for settlements, suspending their funding as a means to exert pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.

This pressure seemingly compelled him to attend the Madrid Peace Conference, which included the participation of Arafat and the PLO, and to initiate a multi-party and bilateral peace process.

These tactics succeeded in bringing Shamir to the international conference platform and accepting its terms. They also paved the way for his departure from the Israeli political scene and the ascension of Yitzhak Rabin, who spearheaded the Oslo Accords, the Wadi Araba Agreement, and significant diplomatic breakthroughs with Syria.

Bush Sr. permitted the passage of nine UN resolutions, including one criticising Israel for the expulsion of Palestinians. Similarly, his son, George W. Bush, allowed the issuance of six resolutions, with one urging Israel to cease demolishing Palestinian homes.

On his part, Barack Obama authorised the passage of one resolution against settlement expansion before concluding his term in December 2016.

Significant transformations have indeed unfolded in Israel, the United States, the region, and the world in recent decades. The 7 October attack shattered preconceived notions about the infallibility of Israeli security, which, in turn, threatens the Jewish state's very existence.

Biden stands out

Biden's unequivocal support of Israel stands out in US presidential history. Not only did he provide it with massive amounts of financial aid and support, but he is ideologically aligned with the Jewish state and a self-professed, proud Zionist. He is also the first sitting US president to visit Israel in a time of war.

This blind support will only intensify in the run-up to the US presidential election, where the support of pro-Israel lobby groups such as AIPAC will be critical to his securing a second term in office.