How the October 7 attacks became a turning point for US politics

The October 7, 2023 , Hamas terror attacks, which killed 1,200 people, did not just transform the Middle East’s strategic balance as Israel confronted Hamas , then Hezbollah , and traded fire with their sponsor, Iran .

The ensuing war has proved the existential role the US plays in Israel 's survival but also severely strained the alliance.

The widening war that the president will bequeath to either Trump or Harris will be a blot on the legacy of a statesman who regarded himself as a policy expert.

Biden was repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protests and confronted by banners that read, “Genocide Joe,” while he was still running for president.

Thousands of Arab American voters and others refused to support Biden in the primaries, and the prospect of them sitting out next month ’s election or voting third party could doom Harris ’ White House hopes.

The next occupant of the White House will inherit one of the most perilous crises facing a modern president.

There have been more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the US since the October 7 attacks.

If Harris wins, she will have to chart her own policy on the war after being unwilling to address her views outside Biden 's approach.