NYT / Kristof: Biden suchte Frieden, erleichterte aber den Krieg

A counterfactual: if the US and other friends of Israel had insisted on Oct 8 2023 that Israel desist in responding to the Hamas attack of Oct 7 by force, and instead defer to the UNSC and the International Criminal Court for dealing with Hamas & securing the release of the Israeli, Thai and other hostages, tens of thousands of civilian lives would have been saved, Hamas would have been effectively boxed up with its leaders awaiting trial in the Hague, Gaza & Lebanon would remain intact, and tensions with Iran would remain within parameters manageable through diplomacy. Israel would have taken and held the moral high ground and preserved and augmented its international reputation rather than being well on its way to becoming a pariah and an outlaw state.

Total minutes spent during the US election campaign discussing the elevation of international law and the US becoming a signatory to the Rome Statute underlying the International Criminal Court: 0 / Zero.

When all you’ve got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.