Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the ongoing fighting between Israelis and Palestinians — the worst violence the conflict has seen in seven years. They explain how the fighting arose out of tensions in Jerusalem, how the militant group Hamas escalated things, and the cycle of violence that keeps pushing Israel and Hamas toward war. Then they discuss what, if anything, could be done to improve the situation — and why the US seems so impotent despite all of the leverage it has over Israel.

References:

Read Zack’s great piece on Vox about the Gaza doom loop.

Alex detailed for Vox on the split between Democrats and Biden on Israel.

Alex also wrote on Vox about how the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a test for Biden.

Neri Zilber penned a good summary of the conflict’s dynamics for Newlines Magazine.

Anshel Pfeffer explains how rudderless the conflict is for Haaretz.

The Guardian made clear the conflict caught the Biden administration by surprise.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

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