Today on Fox News, an IDF spokesman was asked whether the Biden administration has pressured Israel to hold off on attacking Hamas with ground forces in the Gaza Strip. The spokesman (whose last name is Lerner) answered the question in the affirmative, albeit indirectly.

He said that an Israeli invasion is contingent on approval by the civilian government and that such approval has not come. This contradicts previous reports that the government had given the green light for an invasion and that the timing was now up to the military.

If that report was true, then it’s clear the Israeli government reversed course, and clear enough that it did so under pressure from Joe Biden — pressure that has been widely reported and the existence of which the IDF spokesman did not deny.

But even if the government hadn’t given the military the green light, it’s difficult to believe the hesitation in invading is the result of anything other than pressure Biden indisputably is applying.

[Biden and the West are validating Hamas’ strategy of taking hostages. Israel has done that for years too, so it’s tough to lay the blame solely on Biden. But it’s a huge mistake and it will cost more lives in the long run as hostaging continues to pay dividends — and it won’t just be Hamas making use of that strategy. — Ed]