Letter From America

Marion McKeone: Joe Biden now has a chance to make history, but will he seize it?

The US president will need to persuade both Israel and America that recommitting to a two-state solution is the path to peace – but he may focus instead on containing the immediate situation

Hamas fighters in Gaza: They ‘prey like parasites on the misery of people they claim to represent’. Picture: Chris McGrath/Getty

Every crisis brings opportunity. But it takes courage and vision to seize it. History suggests that the US is more likely to focus on containing the immediate problem rather than expending energy and capital on a long-term answer.

Between 2013 and 2015, I lived in Lebanon, working as a communications director for an international NGO focusing on the Syria refugee crisis. Before that I spent two years in East Africa, working in a similar capacity ...