MIDDLE EAST TOUR: Antony Blinken is currently traveling to several countries in the Middle East. Here he is received in Saudi Arabia. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein / AP / NTB
Israel’s warfare in Gaza is entirely dependent on the support of the United States. Now US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken has come forward with stronger criticism than before of civilian casualties in Gaza.
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- US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken has criticized civilian casualties in Gaza in recent days.
- Israel’s warfare is dependent on financial support from the United States.
- Eirik Løkke in Civita believes that the US is now signaling that patience is running out, and that warfare with such high civilian casualties cannot continue over time.
- PRIO researcher Jørgen Jensehaugen, on the other hand, does not believe that the signals from the USA are as strong, and does not think they will interfere in Israel’s warfare.
Sea view
– These are signals from Blinken and the USA that the patience they have had is about to end, says Eirik Løkke, USA expert and advisor at the Civita think tank.
The war in Gaza has been going on for three months. In that time, over 22,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Palestinian health officials.
Pictures from Gaza show children and adults buried in the rubble, areas leveled to the ground, and thousands of internally displaced people. It arouses strong reactions all over the world – including in the United States, where the population has been divided in its view of the war.
Israel’s operation is dependent on financial support from the United States. Løkke in Civita believes that Blinken is now clear that it cannot continue as it is today indefinitely, and that this must soon change.
However, Jørgen Jensehaugen of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) believes that the signals are not as strong:
– It is a sign that they feel the wear and tear that the war inflicts on them and their position, but it is not a given that it is a sign that they believe the war should end, he says.
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Palestinians affected by an Israeli attack arrive at the hospital in Rafah on 28 December. Photo: MOHAMMED ABED / AFP / NTBB Children search through the ruins after a bomb attack on 31 December. Photo: MOHAMMED ABED / AFP / NTBFeople fleeing Khan Yunis, with some of their belongings, arrive in Rafah on 4 January. Photo: MOHAMMED ABED / AFP / NTBEA man mourns over the bodies of children killed in bomb attacks, outside al-Najjar hospital in Rafah on 5 January. Photo: MOHAMMED ABED / AFP / NTB
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Palestinians affected by an Israeli attack arrive at the hospital in Rafah on 28 December. Photo: MOHAMMED ABED / AFP / NTB
Criticizes civilian casualties
At a press conference in Qatar’s capital Doha on Sunday, Blinken emphasized that Palestinians must not be forced out of Gaza.
– Palestinian civilians must be allowed to return home as soon as conditions permit. They cannot, they must not, be pressured to leave Gaza, he said.
At the beginning of January, Israel’s security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and finance minister Betzalel Smotrich said that “migration” of Palestinian civilians was a solution to the long conflict, and a requirement to ensure the stability required for civilians to return to their homes in southern Israel.
The US distanced itself from the statements, but Ben-Gvir rejected the criticism, saying that Israel must do what is best for Israel.
In Qatar, Blinken also said that the threshold for getting aid to where it is needed in Gaza is far too high. Israeli authorities have been criticized for not letting in enough emergency aid.
On Sunday, father of eight and journalist Wael Dahdouh said goodbye to the third child he has lost since the war in Gaza started. At the press conference in Qatar, Blinken used the term “unbelievable tragedy” about the murder.
– This is why we emphasize the necessity – the crucial need for – not only to ensure that humanitarian aid can reach those who need it, but that people are protected from harm in this conflict in the first place.
The day before he stated, after a visit to Turkey:
– Far too many Palestinians have been killed, especially children.
– Difficult to continue with
Eirik Løkke in Civita says that both Israel and the US notice that the images from Gaza and the civilian casualties cause them to struggle with their global reputation.
– It is also felt in the USA. Now the Biden administration, through Blinken, is clear that this type of warfare will be difficult to continue over time, he believes.
SIGNAL: Eirik Løkke in Civita believes that the signals from Blinken are clear. Photo: CF-WESENBERG
He says the Biden administration was initially concerned that Israel should be given the opportunity to carry out its attack on Hamas and have time to take out Hamas’ military capabilities.
– But I think it was communicated early on that they cannot continue this over time. The window of opportunity Israel had to succeed with its strategic plan is now getting smaller and smaller, and I think Blinken conveys that quite clearly.
Løkke believes there will be stronger public criticism from the Biden administration if the situation does not change. He believes that withholding financial aid is more important.
– But there are signals that Israel’s warfare is about to become too great a price to pay for the United States.
CLOSE FRIENDS: The US is Israel’s most important ally Photo: LEAH MILLIS / Reuters / NTB
– Not proper pressure
Jensehaugen in PRIO agrees that the signals from the USA have recently changed. But unlike Løkke, he does not believe that the US is about to lose its patience.
– It is clear that the USA wants to get a solution in place, but at the same time it is very clear that they are still not putting proper pressure on Israel. Their position still seems to be that there will only be a ceasefire when Israel finds it acceptable.
NOT SO CLEAR: Jørgen Jensehaugen believes the signal from Biden is more aimed at Americans and Arab countries. Photo: Private
He says the statements from Blinken are very much about making it clear to the Arab states that he takes their complaints and wishes seriously – and to dampen the criticism from Americans who are critical of the support for Israel.
– It looks like the US is leaving the question of when the war will end up to Israel, but at the same time is working hard to shape the situation after the war. Then some solution must be put in place for who will rule Gaza and who will pay for the reconstruction, where you have to have a broad coalition with you.
Published:
Published: 09.01.24 at 08:47
2024-01-09 07:47:19
#Gaza #signals #Americas #patience #running
