Biden tries threading the needle on campus protests, war

For two weeks, President Biden kept his distance from the pro-Palestinian protests roiling college campuses, devoting far more time to Israel-Hamas hostage negotiations than the unrest unfurling at home.

By Thursday — when Biden delivered unplanned remarks defending students' right to protest but condemning campus violence — it was clear that strategy had become unsustainable.

Why it matters: The next phase of Biden's dueling foreign policy and domestic crises may prove even more difficult.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed — "with or without" a hostage deal — to forge ahead with a ground invasion of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.