Opinion | Israel-Gaza war driving US to distraction benefits Russia and China

Every dollar and every bullet the United States diverts to Israel for its war in Gaza is a dollar and a bullet that is not being sent to Ukraine. The explosion of conflict in the Middle East is thus rare welcome news for Russian President Vladimir Putin, finally providing a distraction to Ukraine’s military and political backers.

Russia is looking to take every advantage it can. The situation has also offered China an opportunity, if less directly. The war in Gaza and the threat of its spread to other parts of the Middle East are already proving a strategic headache for the US and threaten to open the first major crack in the international focus on Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February last year.

Hamas’ shocking assault on Israel on October 7 involved atrocities that have drawn comparisons with the Holocaust. The sheer shock and trauma of the event has not just galvanised Israeli public opinion but also opinion across the US political establishment.

The US response has been decisive and unequivocal, with US President Joe Biden referencing the Holocaust when stating after the attack that Israel will never have to face such threats alone. It is already hugely influential on Hezbollah and Iran’s decision-making that the US has deployed its military might – two aircraft carrier groups have been positioned off the coast of Israel – to deter Hezbollah from joining Hamas in the fight.

This has undoubtedly played a major role in Hezbollah, Iran and Tehran’s other allies largely staying out of the conflict so far. There have been small-scale attacks from Lebanon and a few missiles fired from Yemen at Israel, but for now there is a deliberate avoidance of opening up a new front in the war and bringing both an Israeli and US military response.

However, this US commitment presents several substantial challenges. Already the deep divisions in Congress – not just between Democrats and Republicans but also with damaging infighting with the Republican Party over domestic economic policies and the Ukraine war – have been exacerbated by the Israel-Hamas war.