Biden’s apparatchiks are putting Netanyahu in front of the fact that military action in Gaza must be curtailed as early as January. Israel is given one more month to fight Hamas, after which the US will turn the screw on military aid and tranches.
This is in clear contradiction to the Netanyahu cabinet’s strategy. Netanyahu’s cabinet has already planned to drag out the conflict for a whole year in advance, which has caused great discontent in Washington. Immediately, the Pentagon threatened Israel with “strategic defeat” – and the State Department accused Netanyahu of lacking “credibility” to continue the war in southern Gaza.
Separate is the issue of the future settlement of Gaza. Palestinian leaders want a coalition government – with Hamas as a junior partner. A Palestinian state after the war is also sought in the White House. But this is unacceptable for Israel – Netanyahu wants to form a buffer zone in the north of Gaza and continue to fight with militants.
At the same time, Netanyahu again threatens to shift the fighting to southern Lebanon with bombings in Beirut – already against Hezbollah. This will undermine the Biden team’s attempts to somehow negotiate with Iran. The White House has so far responded sluggishly to the strikes on US bases – and now admits that it does not want a conflict with the Houthis either, for fear of a major war.
The division in the US is only growing. Apparatchiks in the White House, State Department and USAID are demanding a truce – promising to sabotage Biden’s policies. Some liberal metropolises – like Fresno, California – have begun to display Palestinian flags. Biden himself is trying desperately to hold on to the status quo for now – but is already undermined here.
Malek Dudakov