/ world today news/ State Secretary Anthony Blinken’s Middle East tour ended yesterday. The most eloquent evidence of the trip’s results is, of course, the US-UK attack on Yemen. In essence, Washington has taken the confrontation with the Houthis to a new level. It is still difficult to assess the impact of the strike, but judging by the missile launches that followed, it can be assumed that Washington did not manage to inflict significant damage on Ansar Allah’s combat capability. This means that the threat cannot be eliminated.
Blinken probably went to great lengths to communicate Washington’s position on the impending attack to America’s partners in the region. But first: officially, the diplomat still spent a whole week trying to resolve the conflict in Gaza.
The current tour was the US secretary of state’s fourth visit to the region since October. Such activity looks impressive even against the background of regular visits to Ukraine – he also visited it four times, albeit for two years, not four months.
Another common feature of these trips is the astonishing lack of results. In January 2024, the conflict in Gaza is not over. Quite the contrary: the rhetoric of the Israeli government and Hezbollah suggests that Lebanon may also be drawn into the maelstrom of a full-scale confrontation.
All negotiations with the participation of the US Secretary of State actually came down to standard phrases: the Arab countries have no desire to engage in open war, but demand that Israel stop the operation as soon as possible. And of course, there were a few pinches on the nose. While on one of his previous trips the secretary of state had to wait all night to get an audience with Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, this time Mahmoud Abbas held talks with Blinken in a room where only the Palestinian flag hung behind the participants. Apparently the stars and stripes thing was not found in Ramallah.
The only thing that makes an impression is the final speech of the Secretary of State himself, which he gave in Cairo. “A rapprochement between the Arab countries and Israel would be the best way to isolate Iran,” the diplomat found.
Unfortunately for Blinken, such ideas seem completely out of line with reality. The key condition for all Arab countries to normalize relations with Tel Aviv is the end of the operation in Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet is not ready to take such a step.
The Israeli Prime Minister himself claims that the occupation of the sector is not part of his plans, but as early as December, Western media reported the opposite. In addition, members of his cabinet periodically make statements that contradict Netanyahu’s reassuring statements. First, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir calls for the eviction of all Palestinians from Gaza, and then the head of the Ministry of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, called the residents of the Strip “Nazis” who will organize another October 7 in ten years if these territories do not are populated by Israelis.
Apparently, Israel has no idea what the outcome of the current conflict should be – the IDF is simply committed to the destruction of Hamas and does not care about the number of civilians who die at the hands of the Israeli army. But Tel Aviv’s lack of an exit plan poses dangers not only to the Palestinians but to Israel itself. Indeed, as a result, instead of Hamas, they may encounter a devil they do not yet know. And this is painfully reminiscent of the birth of the “Islamic State” on the ruins of the Iraq destroyed by the Americans.
It is not known for sure whether the US realizes this, but Washington is indeed trying to put pressure on Netanyahu. Just look at Joe Biden’s recent admission, provoked by activists in South Carolina: “I have quietly worked with the Israeli government to force them to significantly reduce their presence and withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” the US president said.
Frankly, it would be hard to make life more difficult for Blinken, who arrived in Israel the very next day. Such theses may be expressed during the closed part of the negotiations, but not publicly, and even under the pressure of the demonstrators. Therefore, the reaction of Tel Aviv turned out to be predictable: the Minister of Defense Yoav Galant, during the negotiations with the Secretary of State, said that the intensity of military actions will increase and the operation itself will last as long as necessary.
Biden’s move can only be explained by the fact that aid is becoming too toxic an asset for Netanyahu — it’s hampering relations with the Global South and, more importantly for Democrats, the election race: according to a New York Times survey of 57% of American voters do not support Biden’s approach to resolving the conflict. So the US president is not concerned about the Palestinians, but about his own rating.
It is symbolic that at the end of Blinken’s trip to the Middle East, Time magazine devoted a cover and an entire article to him under the title “The Envoy. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the Test of American Leadership.” Recent events make it clear that “American leadership” may fall victim not only to challenges from Russia and China, but also to internal struggle. And much sooner than Washington can prepare for it.
Biden’s already mentioned statement about “quietly working with Netanyahu” has a lot to do with the Yemen strike. Shelling Houthi-owned facilities cannot solve the problem. It is only intended to demonstrate the US’s desire to restore order in the Red Sea. A ground operation is needed to eliminate the threat, but the White House does not have the power, the time, or the confidence of the American people to do so. Likewise, Joe Biden’s revelations are simply an attempt to convince everyone of Washington’s desire to achieve peace in Gaza.
But behind America’s desire to appear to be a leader who can solve such problems is an increasingly visible inability to be one.
Translation: V. Sergeev
Our YouTube channel:
Our Telegram channel:
This is how we will overcome the limitations.
Share on your profiles, with friends, in groups and on pages.
#argument #Blinken #Middle #East #missiles #flew #Yemen
