Biden knows Israel's war in Gaza is a problem for him — and he's changing his strategy to address it

• Biden's posture towards Israel is growing more confrontational.
• It comes as the bodies pile up in Gaza and the "uncommitted" votes pile up in primary states.
• But it remains to see how much the rhetoric translates to a genuine policy shift.

As bodies pile up in Gaza and "uncommitted" votes pile up in primary state after primary state, President Joe Biden appears to understand that he has a problem on his hands.

At the State of the Union address on Thursday night, Biden urged Israel to do more to allow aid into Gaza — making clear that he believes the Jewish state has not done enough to alleviate the dire humanitarian straits in the besieged territory, where over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its response to the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The president also announced the establishment of a temporary port on the Gaza coast to allow aid to enter the territory via sea. "We're not waiting on the Israelis," a senior Biden administration official told reporters as they previewed the plan on Thursday, ahead of Biden's speech.

Biden was even caught on a hot mic after the speech declaring that he's going to have a "come to Jesus" moment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the longtime right-wing leader of Israel.

It remains to be seen whether any of this will be enough.

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, a progressive critic of Biden's approach to Israel, told reporters earlier on Thursday that she wanted to see the president call for a permanent cease-fire.

"I think he is listening, I do see a shift in rhetoric. I have yet to see a shift in policy," said Jayapal. "The humanitarian catastrophe is so dire that I don't think a shift only in rhetoric is sufficient anymore."

One month ago, Biden described Israel's conduct in Gaza as "over the top."

He has since backed a six-week cease-fire if Hamas agrees to release more Israeli hostages.

But many on the left would like to see him go further, including placing conditions on US military aid to Israel to pressure the country to change course.

And roughly half of those who voted for Biden in 2020 believe that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, according to recent polling.

On Thursday, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked off Pennsylvania Avenue, the route that Biden was set to take toward the Capitol to deliver his speech.

Yet Biden's also in a bind: If he takes too critical of a line on Israel, he could jeopardize his support with Jewish and other pro-Israel voters.

The delicate balancing act Biden has to perform was on full display on Thursday, where his criticism of Israel — and his reaffirmation of support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — was couched heavily in his support for the Jewish state.

"I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel, my entire career," said Biden. "No one has a stronger record with Israel than I do. I challenge any of you here."