Former U.S. envoy Jack Lew says Israel “took advantage” of Biden’s refusal to withdraw support during Gaza war, limiting Washington’s leverage

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew said the Israeli government “took advantage” of President Joe Biden’s determination not to abandon Israel during the Gaza war, arguing that Washington consequently lacked the leverage needed to change some Israeli decisions. Lew also said he struggled after October 7 to persuade Israeli officials to give greater priority to protecting and securing the release of American-Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Speaking Wednesday at Columbia University, Lew said the hostages were among his highest priorities as ambassador but were “much further down the list” for some of his Israeli government counterparts, according to Haaretz.

Lew argued that effective pressure would have required Washington to credibly threaten to leave Israel without U.S. backing if it refused American demands. “Unless you're willing to say, ‘Do it our way or we're going to be leaving you on your own,’ you didn't have the leverage to make the kind of difference that you would have liked,” he said.

Asked about Biden’s approach, Lew said the former president would not allow Israel to be left on its own and added: “I think that was taken advantage of.” His comments offer an unusually direct assessment from a senior Biden administration official of the limits Washington faced in influencing Israeli policy during the war.

Lew served as U.S. ambassador to Israel from November 2023 until January 2025, covering much of the Gaza war and negotiations over hostages and ceasefires. Biden remained a strong supporter of Israel after the Hamas-led October 7 attack but increasingly criticized the conduct of the Gaza campaign as civilian casualties mounted, while his administration continued providing military assistance and diplomatic backing to Israel.