On Wednesday's broadcast of CNN's “Outfront,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said, “Prime Minister Netanyahu is keeping a close eye on the U.S. election as he makes decisions about military operations in the north and Gaza. “There are,” he said, expressing concern. “It is certainly possible that the Israeli government will not sign any diplomatic agreements before the U.S. election as a means of potentially trying to influence the outcome.”
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is pursuing multiple goals simultaneously, and while he undoubtedly cares about Israel's security, on many days he appears to be guided by his own political survival,” Murphy said. ” he said. We clearly thought we had the ability to obtain a ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas stood in the way of the deal, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appears to have believed that a ceasefire and prisoner exchange would undermine his political interests. What must happen now is a response by Israel and the United States. But secondly, we must take a path towards detente. It is unlikely that such an attack on Israel would go unresponsive, but there was already a diplomatic process in place with Hezbollah. After the limited ground invasion that Israel is conducting, we have an opportunity to move forward on the path to peace, perhaps by achieving a ceasefire with Hezbollah in the north, and perhaps further progress towards achieving a ceasefire in Gaza. It may be possible to stimulate further negotiations. ”
He added: “I am certainly concerned that Prime Minister Netanyahu is looking at the American election when making decisions about military operations in the north and Gaza.” Although we hope this is not true, it is certainly possible that the Israeli government will not sign any diplomatic agreements before the US presidential election as a means of potentially trying to influence the outcome. I hope I'm wrong about that, but you don't have to be a hopeless cynic to read some of Israel's actions, namely Prime Minister Netanyahu's actions in relation to the American election. I think so. ”
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