US Attempts to Navigate Middle East Crisis: Balancing Support for Israel and Concern for Palestinian Civilians

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The Biden administration is trying to navigate an extremely difficult and complex situation, and find a delicate balance in the Middle East. This is because, while it remains steadfast in its support for Israel in its war against the Hamas movement, the United States is also trying to reduce the damage to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and limit the scope of the conflict that threatens to expand across the region.

But critics – including pro-ceasefire protesters who boycotted President Biden at an event on Monday in Charleston, South Carolina – say those efforts at mitigation have generally failed, and that the White House is either intentionally or wrongly overseeing a massacre. Large number of Palestinians (at least 23,210 people, according to the latest census). During his Middle East tour this week, which included Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken continued these efforts and delivered messages from his Arab counterparts to Israeli officials, urging the wartime government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce its military operations and increase humanitarian aid to a population exhausted by hunger. And illness. He also reaffirmed US support for the Israeli campaign, dismissing the South African-led initiative at the International Court of Justice as “worthless.”

Blinken’s visits this week were overshadowed by the Biden administration’s concern about the possibility of the war expanding in the region. This is because, if Israel has begun to withdraw some of its forces from Gaza – even though the loss of Palestinian lives has only worsened – tension has continued to increase on its northern border with Lebanon, where Israeli forces have engaged in a daily exchange of fire with the Hezbollah group. ».

In this regard, my fellow journalists quoted officials in the White House and the US State Department as saying: “The risk of Israel launching an ambitious attack on Hezbollah has never disappeared… However, there has been greater concern about an escalation in recent weeks, especially with the announcement Israel announced its temporary withdrawal of several thousand soldiers from Gaza on January 1 – a decision that could open the way for devoting resources to a military operation in the north. Then there is the question of the post-war period in Gaza.

American officials are pushing for a scenario that would witness significant participation and investments from Israel’s Arab neighbors, the return of non-Hamas-affiliated Palestinian administrative rule to Gaza, and the revival of the political track for a two-state solution. However, the Biden administration faces obstacles in all of this from within Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition. The Prime Minister spent most of his political career weakening the chances of a two-state solution, and returned to power with more right-wing allies who explicitly reject any talk of establishing a Palestinian state, and support more settlement in the West Bank, and even in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

The rhetoric coming from inside Israel makes US attempts to propose a regional plan to calm the crisis more difficult. My fellow journalists pointed out that “the gaps between Israelis and Arab leaders remain wide, as far-right members of Netanyahu’s government call for the mass displacement of civilians from Gaza, and reject American calls for a “reformed and active” Palestinian Authority to play a role in Gaza in the post-war period.” Pointing out Netanyahu’s public refusal to allow the Palestinian Authority to impose its control over Gaza after the war. Some analyzes suggest that Netanyahu is subject to the forces that will keep him in power – controversial figures from the extreme right, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

In this context, Amos Harel wrote in the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” saying: “These two extreme right-wing members of the government are working to inflame differences between Israel and America and fan the flames of polarization in Israel… and it seems that Netanyahu is their prisoner.” Currently, Netanyahu and his allies refuse to budge from their position. Analysts say that the course of the war and escalating regional tensions may also be in the interest of Iran, Netanyahu’s arch enemy.

Ishaan Tharoor*

* American journalist

Published by special arrangement with the Washington Post Licensing and Syndication Service.

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2024-01-14 19:13:02