I strongly doubt any U.S. President (Biden, Trump, Haley, Independent, or another global leader) could have shut down the retaliation, revenge, punishment, or whatever anyone wants to call it that Israel is doing in Gaza.
I remember hearing a similar conversation from others when the
911 terrorist attacks occurred...people outside of the U.S. were using the same arguments that their leaders could have shut down the U.S. or intervened to prevent retaliation, revenge, or punishment for the terrorist attacks on our soil in N.Y. (twin towers, pentagon) after a few weeks of getting its
pound of flesh as you refer to it.
Remember WWII ???
The United States stayed neutral while supplying weapons,
oil & airplanes to the countries attacked by Germany/Italy until Pearl Harbor was attacked (our ships, military & civilians on our soil)...America declared WAR against Japan and wanted much more than retaliation, revenge, and punishment for what the Japanese.
America wanted total annihilation regardless of the civilian cost of lives because we knew the enemy didn't give a damn about our civilians especially after we discover Japanese plans to do further attacks on civilians residing on the West Coast (the location of many of our military installations).
In addition, we built
encampments for Japanese Americans to keep a close eye on them because we didn't trust them while other Americans looted their homes and businesses...burned down their properties...froze their income in banks.
Remember WWI ???
It took an assassination of one world leader (Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 28, 1914) along with support of public Nationalism, Imperialism, European expansion, Millenarianism, Alliances to start a World War I.
Remember Vietnam War ???
Gulf of Tonkin attack also known as the U.S.S. Maddox incident, marked the formal entry of the United States into the Vietnam War. “In the summer of 1964, the Johnson administration was
laying secret plans for an expansion of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam...
Along with bloody conflict with deep roots in the collapse of French colonial rule and an independence movement driven by communist leader Ho Chi Minh.
My point is as soon as civilians (young, women, elderly, children, a world leader, our military on our soil or at sea) are targeted by someone for whatever reasons...
Someone who you consider to be the aggressor...the people of your country want revenge...total annihilation of the aggressor, much more than a pound of flesh.
There's always an instigator of growing hate...someone that wants to make a country great again...expansion of its powers...a return back to its glory years. He needs help to do it because he can not do it alone.
Today, our military installations are deeply integrated with surrounding civilian life, schools, universities, government offices, hospitals and churches. Now imagine what will happen if the United States military base is attack on American soil.
It's an ugly (sinful) side of human nature that no world leader can shut it down after getting their pound of flesh especially when the aggressor is still planning further attacks on your soil because they want more power (expansion of power) to do whatever they want while you're still outrage/shocked by the initial attacks.
Simply, no world leader will be able to prevent the United States from wanting much more than a
pound of flesh when it retaliates and wants revenge just like Biden can not stop Israel.
P.S. Total destruction becomes a need usually when
secret plans of further attacks are discovered. Often the public doesn't become aware of until long after the war has concluded.
wrbtrader