Biden is a ‘lame duck’ president – but can he still put pressure on Israel?

The Biden administration has shown no willingness to change course on Israel. It is running out of time to do so.

With fewer than 70 days left in office, United States President Joe Biden has officially entered the “lame duck” phase of his presidency – the period of time between administrations when a president’s influence and ability to shape policy dwindle as his successor prepares to take office.

But with the looming end of Biden’s five-decade political career comes a final chance to define his legacy – particularly when it comes to foreign policy, which Biden has long viewed as one of his signature issues.

For those opposed to the current administration’s unwavering support for Israel during its more than yearlong war on Gaza, this lame duck period is a final opportunity “to try to push Biden to move past a legacy of genocide”, said Annelle Sheline, a former US Department of State official who resigned in March in protest against the Biden administration’s Israel policy.

But it is unlikely that the administration will backtrack on its multibillion-dollar support for Israel’s war after a year of deepening humanitarian crisis and large-scale evidence of mass war crimes in which the US is deeply implicated.

“Now that there’s less of a political price to pay, Biden could choose to do good things,” Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera. “But it’s never been entirely political; it is ideological. This is just how he believes the US-Israel relationship should work, and that’s with basically zero pressure on Israel about anything.”