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You’ve probably never seen Antony Blinken get mad. When it happens, there’s no mistaking it.
He doesn’t yell or scream. But his voice changes in a way those close to him struggle to describe beyond the word “intense.” He becomes very blunt about what he wants. If there’s a table in front of him, he’ll tap it for emphasis.
The secretary of State has shown this quiet fury in private these last few months as he’s tackled the Israel-Hamas war, the trickiest challenge so far in his tenure.
But maybe it’s time America’s chief diplomat expressed some of that anger in public. Because at the moment, he looks weak.
Israeli leaders have met Blinken’s requests with minor concessions if not outright defiance — and President Joe Biden has given him near-zero leverage to use with them. The most promising war-related talks are being led by others in the Biden administration.
Many State Department staffers, meanwhile, are furious with his handling of the crisis.