Biden talks of Gaza ‘red line’ for Israel, but his options are limited

Already agitated United States-Israel relations have taken a further dive – to what some say is their lowest point ever – as the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has worsened.

First, President Joe Biden put Israel on notice that it’s on the brink of crossing a “red line” if it proceeds with plans for an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah – thus using with a close ally a blunt warning that recent presidents reserved for adversaries like Syria and North Korea.

Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer – the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S. – cautioned Israel that it risks becoming a “pariah” state as a result of the war-caused devastation and growing risk of famine in Gaza. And that, before in so many words admonishing Israelis to dump