Joe Biden has managed to anger everybody on Israel

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden threw down the gauntlet against former president Donald Trump and challenged him to two debates in June and September, rejecting the traditional calendar. It’s a bold move meant to signal that he’s unafraid to be combative.

But back in Washington, the president has angered both Democrats and Republicans when it comes to his policy on Israel amid its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Biden last week said that the United States would not support Israel if it went into Rafah and paused the shipment of 1,800 bombs weighing around 2,000lbs (907kg) and 1,700 bombs weighing 500lbs (227kg). But on Tuesday, the administration informed Congress that it planned to send more than $1bn in new weapons to Israel.

While the Biden administration thinks it is trying to walk a tightrope, its splitting the difference has wound up infuriating everyone.

Republicans, furious that Biden withheld even some aid to Israel, have proposed legislation that states “no federal funds may be used to withhold, halt, reverse, or cancel the delivery of defense articles or defense services to Israel.” The bill would also require that some money meant for maintaining the office of the Secretary of State and Defense “may not be spent until each office certifies to Congress that any withheld defense articles or services are delivered to Israel.”

This is obviously a messaging bill that has little chance of passing the Senate. But it is meant to turn up the heat on pro-Israel Democrats while also highlighting Biden’s policy, which they hope to portray as anti-Israel.

At the same time, Biden is not winning over many people in his own party. On Friday, the State Department dropped its report saying that it found “reasonable” evidence