The Biden administration’s plans for post-war Gaza represent a significant departure in the U.S.-Israeli relationship and could endanger American lives. 

According to a recent Politico report, the White House is “coalescing around plans for an interim ‘Palestinian Council’ to govern Gaza and a security coalition in which the U.S. military will play a major role.” If true, such a plan would be disastrous for the United States, Israel, and Palestinians. 

The United States has spent decades bogged down in state-building in the Middle East with very little to show for it. After Iraq and Afghanistan, American popular opinion is unlikely to sustain such an effort, and taxpayers are unlikely to be willing to pay for it. Moreover, Washington faces a growing array of security problems, including a Russia that menaces its neighbors in Europe and a China that seeks to dominate Asia and beyond.

Indeed, the challenge posed by Beijing is immense. China is America’s sole peer competitor, with economic and military power that dwarfs that of Russia, Iran, and North Korea. To deter China from its goal of invading Taiwan and becoming the preeminent power in the Pacific, the United States will have to prioritize. Sending military personnel to Gaza is a distraction that Washington can’t afford. It would also be doomed to failure.

Israel has been explicit about its goal in the present conflict: the destruction of Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group that launched the war by invading the Jewish state and massacring and kidnapping its citizens. Yet, at several points, the Biden administration has effectively worked to preserve the terror group, which itself is a proxy of Iran, China’s chief ally in the region. The White House has pressured Israel not to invade Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold, while simultaneously failing to pressure countries like Turkey and Qatar, both of which provide sanctuary and funds to the organization.

If Hamas isn’t defeated, the outlook for an interim “Palestinian Council” to govern Gaza is grim. By working to prevent the group’s destruction, the administration is foiling its own plans for Gaza’s future. Hamas is sure to target and assassinate any Palestinian who doesn’t subscribe to its twisted ideology. History says as much.

In the late 1930s, the Palestinian leader Amin al-Husseini and his henchmen murdered British officials and Jews during the so-called “Arab Revolt” in British-ruled Mandate Palestine. But Husseini also murdered more moderate Arab leaders, both there and in neighboring Transjordan. Husseini’s campaign of assassination eliminated Palestinian leaders more open to peace and compromise, most notably the Nashashibi clan. As a result, the most extreme Palestinian factions, initially led by Husseini’s distant cousin Yasser Arafat and later by Hamas, have continued to hold sway for decades on. Allowing Hamas to survive could lead to similar results for Gaza.

Giving U.S. military personnel a “major role” in security coordination will expose American troops to attacks from Iranian-backed terrorists. Indeed, Tehran’s proxies have been doing just that for years —and often without a response from the Biden administration. It would also mark a significant departure in the U.S.-Israel relationship.

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For decades, Israeli governments of all stripes have resisted any suggestion that might put U.S. troops in harm’s way, fearing that any deaths or injuries could hinder American support for the Jewish state. Unlike other allies, such as South Korea or Germany, Israelis have traditionally been reluctant to have Americans based in the country and committed to fighting on their behalf. 

All that Israel asks is for support to “finish the job” and destroy Hamas. That’s a better plan.

Sean Durns is a Senior Research Analyst for CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis