President Barack Obama was on a historic visit to Cuba when the Islamic State launched terror attacks against Brussels on March 22. He decided not to change his schedule, thus coming under fire from the Republicans competing to succeed him. Nevertheless, in several public appearances in Havana, Obama emphasized two policy points: the Islamic State must be defeated in battle, and life must go on without giving in to fear or hysteria.

Obama is consistent in his view of America’s role in the world. He refuses to let the United States become the world's policeman. He will not engage American ground troops in a war in Syria and Iraq, and he continues to believe in dialogue with (past and present) foes such as Cuba and Iran, as well as in collective international diplomacy.

The Israeli government dared to publicly criticize the European and Belgian leaderships for their (supposed) intelligence failures and passivity toward Islamic terrorist activities in Brussels, but refrained from doing so in the case of the American president. Yet, beneath the surface, there was some criticism of Obama’s low-profile reaction.

A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official dealing with US relations told Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity that the government was disappointed with the Obama administration. “IS will not be defeated without a ground war led by the US,” he argued. He consoled himself by believing that there is probably a better understanding in Washington of Israel’s political predicament facing daily Palestinian terror. This perception, however, is misguided.