Biden's halt of some arms to Israel fails to stop Gaza fury in America

US President Joe Biden's decision to pause shipments of thousands of bombs to Israel over Israel's invasion of Rafah has won praise from some Democrats and a large number of Americans, but it won't stop protests over Tel Aviv's war on Gaza that have dogged his reelection effort, strategists and organisers say.

Biden may have paused a particular shipment of weapons to Tel Aviv, but a diverse array of American military equipment, spanning from joint direct attack munitions to tank rounds, mortars, and armoured tactical vehicles continues to flow to Israel — something protest organisers want him to stop once and for all.

"We welcome Biden's words and this gesture toward taking responsibility for US complicity in these crimes," said Stephanie Fox, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, a group whose members are involved with protests around the country, including on college campuses.

"If his words are to mean anything, rather than a one off pause, this needs to be the start of a sea change in US policy," Fox said on Friday.

Protesters are seeking suspension of US military aid to Israel, a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for universities to divest from companies that support Israel's "genocidal" war in Gaza.

"I think Biden's comments yesterday moves the needle... but what we don't know is if it's a PR move to try to placate some of his opponents on this issue or if it's real because he has also said his support for Israel is ironclad," said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, another group whose members have been participating in protests all over the country.

"We will continue protesting," Benjamin said.

Biden's decision last week marks the first time US has withheld military aid from Israel since the country began invading Gaza seven months ago.

It is also too little, too late, to satisfy the coalition of young voters and people of colour who have led the protests against Israel's brutal attacks on Gaza, many say.

Pro-Palestine protests have swept college campuses across the country, followed Biden at private events and pushed Democrats in key battleground states to vote "uncommitted" to signal their unhappiness as deaths in Israeli-occupied Gaza climbed to 35,000.

'US has gone too far in support of Israel'

Biden has called for a temporary ceasefire and said he supports an eventual two-state solution. While he has been increasingly critical of the Israeli government, billions more in weapons shipments remain in the pipeline.

On Friday, Israeli troops took their war with Palestinians into the city of Rafah, as the United Nations warned that aid for the devastated Gaza could grind to a halt in days.

Stanley Greenberg, a veteran pollster who has worked for top US Democrats and Israelis, held a focus group with voters under 45 years old, and Gaza was one of the top issues raised after rising prices.

"It was top of mind for them," he said about Gaza. Asked whether "the US has gone too far in support of Israel, a plurality say yes."

Biden campaign’s message is that the president is experienced in diplomatic matters and going to make tough and necessary decisions regardless of the polls, according to a person familiar with their thinking.

US leverage on Israel

Americans' support for military aid to Israel has dropped in recent months, as has voter support for Biden, polls show. He has struggled with tepid approval for most of his term in a sharply divided country.

Biden's margin of victory in some key battleground states was slim, and it would not take much of a slip in support from many such voters who backed him in 2020 to throw his reelection bid into question, analysts say.

Waleed Shahid, a Democratic adviser to the national "uncommitted" movement asking voters to pick another candidate in state primaries, called Biden's comment a "small step forward" and said it shows the US has leverage in its dealings with Israel.

Shahid, however, said "until actions are taken to stop the arms sales for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's war, a lot of Biden's base, a lot of the Democratic Party is going to continue to be fractured on this issue."

Other groups urged Biden to act more decisively in confronting Israel instead of looking for a middle ground if he wants to put the Democratic coalition back together.