U.S. President Joe Biden relies on a small group of seasoned advisors to help manage the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has claimed thousands of lives so far and led to a rift among Western allies, with the risk of escalating into a broader war.
* **Antony Blinken - The Shuttle Diplomat**
Blinken (61), a long-time advisor to Biden on foreign policy, has traveled to the Middle East three times since the outbreak of the conflict, including six visits to Israel, attempting to balance the need to show solidarity with Israel after Hamas attacks and the effort to ease tensions in the region. During his shuttle diplomacy between Israel and neighboring predominantly Muslim countries, Blinken rejected calls for a ceasefire but pressured Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, especially during nine hours of negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet in October. Often perceived as a political expert, Blinken has drawn on his Jewish heritage and held emotionally charged meetings in Tel Aviv with survivors of the October 7 attacks. A father of two young children, he has repeatedly expressed how personally affected he is by images showing the suffering of children on both sides of the conflict.
* **Jake Sullivan - The Man Who Offers Final Advice**
Biden frequently turns to Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, when considering final options and seeking advice. An American official stated, "He lays out the political options for the president to make his decision... Jake is often the last man in the room providing the president with his advice, counsel, and recommendations on how to move forward." Sullivan (47) was Biden's National Security Advisor during his vice presidency and served as deputy to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He gathers policy options from various government agencies and prepares them for Biden's review, embodying the traditional role of a National Security Advisor. One official remarked, "He is essentially the conductor of a large and fast-moving orchestra."
* **Brett McGurk - The Negotiator**
When Biden needed an envoy to assist in negotiating the release of hostages held by Hamas fighters since their deadly attacks on southern Israel on October 7, he sent Brett McGurk, the National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, aged 50. Known for his detailed engagement with senior officials across the Middle East, McGurk had previously been negotiating for a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel in exchange for enhanced U.S. defense commitments to the Saudis, but the war in Gaza has put those efforts on hold. According to American officials, when Israel and Hamas agreed to a hostage exchange in a deal brokered by Qatar on November 21, McGurk was in Doha meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister to work on the framework for that agreement. He relies on a wide range of governmental and non-governmental contacts in the Middle East, with one American official stating, "The president and Jake [Sullivan] heavily depend on Brett's expertise and his ability to pick up the phone to talk to whoever is needed to push things forward."
* **Bill Burns - The Quiet Man**
Long before he became the director of the CIA, Bill Burns, as a professional diplomat, dealt with some of the most sensitive U.S. national security issues, including the secret talks that led to the Iran nuclear deal. Burns (67) continues to play this role for Biden, as he recently traveled to Qatar for meetings with the Israeli Mossad chief and the Qatari Prime Minister to discuss how to free hostages from Hamas. An informed source revealed that since taking office in 2021, Burns has made at least 40 foreign trips, mostly in secret. These included a visit to Moscow in 2021 before Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a trip to Ankara in 2022 to warn the Russian intelligence chief against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The CIA has declined to comment on Burns' visits. An American official noted that Burns is summoned "when things have to be done quietly," describing his style as "more nuanced and focused on intelligence issues... and how to compensate for any information gaps."
* **Lloyd Austin - Stark Warnings**
Before Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to Israel following the Hamas attacks, he had already spoken with his Israeli counterpart on at least four occasions over six days. This intensive communication has continued since then. A senior Pentagon official indicated that calls with Yoav Gallant, which the Pentagon disclosed 24 of, often last between 30 minutes to an hour. In Israel, Austin (70) compared Hamas fighters to Islamic State militants, with whom he had fought when he was a general in the U.S. Army before retiring. He stated that Hamas, like that organization, has offered only "fanaticism, blind extremism, and death." He cautioned Israel against failing to protect civilians in Gaza and the risks of resulting extremism. "If you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you swap tactical victory for strategic defeat," he said.
* **Kamala Harris - Post-Conflict Planning**
Vice President Kamala Harris has focused on the challenging issue of post-conflict planning. She recently met with several Arab leaders on the sidelines of the UN climate change conference (COP28). In Dubai, Harris emphasized three elements related to post-conflict Gaza: reconstruction, security, and governance. She stated, "No to forced displacement, no to reoccupation, no to blockade or closure, no to reducing land space, and no to using Gaza as a platform for terrorism." She added that the Palestinian Authority's security forces must be strengthened to take on security responsibilities in Gaza and the West Bank. "We want to see Gaza and the West Bank unified under Palestinian Authority leadership, and the voices and aspirations of the Palestinian people must be at the heart of this work," she stated.
* **Jon Finer - Raising Questions**
Sullivan relies heavily on Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer. Finer (47) previously served as a special advisor on the Middle East and North Africa and as Biden's foreign policy speechwriter during his vice presidency. An official remarked, "He is often the guy in the room who says: 'Wait a minute, this doesn’t sound right, have we thought about doing this a different way?'" As Sullivan's deputy, Finer also helps coordinate across U.S. government agencies and formulate policy options. He directed the office of John Kerry when Kerry was Secretary of State under Obama and also worked as a correspondent for The Washington Post in regions including the Middle East.
