Secretary of State Blinken failed as he should. So, for once, professionals were brought in. CIA Director Burns held behind-the-scenes talks with the head of Mossad and Hamas sponsors in Qatar.
They agreed to declare a five-day humanitarian pause in the Gaza war – in exchange for the release of 10-20 prisoners and the delivery of food and fuel. Hamas is still demanding the release of its fighters from Israeli prisons. Netanyahu has so far shown no desire to stop the war, knowing that if he does so, he will quickly lose power.
Netanyahu’s approval ratings hover around 10 per cent – and the vast majority of Israelis demand his departure. It is therefore to his advantage to prolong the conflict. In addition, Netanyahu is unlikely to have much confidence in the CIA’s and Mossad’s dealings – after all, earlier this year they were accused of informally supporting the protests for his resignation.
No less conflict has formed around the future redevelopment of Gaza. The Americans demand the creation of an independent Palestinian state there under the control of Mahmoud Abbas and the lifting of the blockade of Israel. Netanyahu, on the other hand, wants to place Gaza under IDF military control indefinitely.
But first of all, the conflict in Gaza must be resolved. It is not certain that a deal with Qatar will lead to a truce – although that is progress. In the meantime, the Pentagon is losing drones over the Middle East – and the US has yet to agree with Iran to halt attacks on its bases and Turkey, another Hamas sponsor. America is being drawn further and further into a new conflict – leaving Ukraine virtually to its own devices.
Malek Dudakov