Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week announced plans to scale up humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and call for a cease-fire and hostage release, even as the US hopes last week's killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar will be a turning point. It left Israel with little visible progress in brokering a deal. Towards the end of the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown little interest in halting diplomatic or military operations, and was right to instead ignore Western warnings that Israel was escalating a devastating war against Hamas. It pointed to Shinwar's death as evidence.
“It's clear to everyone in Israel and around the world why we were so determined not to end the war,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said shortly after Sinwar's death was confirmed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Prime Minister Blinken on Tuesday that Mr. Sinwar's death was “likely to have a positive impact on the return of the hostages and on the day after the war.”
This was one of the few times Netanyahu publicly expressed an openness to discussing the future of the Gaza Strip without Hamas leadership.
Still, Prime Minister Netanyahu's words and actions over the past week show a rift with the United States, as President Biden pushes for a weeks-long ceasefire deal in Gaza conditional on the release of Hamas hostages. end the war.
“Israelis no longer fully accept U.S. advice, especially when it comes to Gaza,” said Stephen Cook, senior fellow for Middle East and North Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.during a press callAfter Shinwar's death.
“And you have a sense of style. [in Israel] …The United States was wrong on many counts,” he continued, “Israel should stop taking advice from those who couldn't do it in Afghanistan and elsewhere. That may be unfair. No, but that was the way they saw things.”
The region remains tense as it awaits an expected Israeli attack on Iran in retaliation for the Iranian attack on Israel on October 1. On Sunday, Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private home on the Israeli coast with an explosive drone.
The United States has deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system in preparation for a counterattack from an imminent Israeli attack on Iran, but U.S. officials reportedly They received assurances from the Israelis that they would avoid provocative targets such as Iranian oil and nuclear facilities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he told Mr Blinken that Hezbollah's attacks were a “very important issue that cannot be ignored.”
Netanyahu opened the door to a postwar plan in his meeting with Blinken, but there appears to be a gap between the United States and Israel over what a potential plan might look like.
The United States has repeatedly expressed opposition to Israel's long-term occupation of Gaza and has suggested that a Palestinian-led government should take over. Prime Minister Netanyahu proposed in February potential plans It generally requires a multi-year military occupation of the Gaza Strip.
“Right now, we need to focus on bringing the hostages home, ending this war, and having a clear plan for what happens next,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, before calling for further talks. He said he was heading to Saudi Arabia for the purpose. . He is also scheduled to visit Qatar, one of the key intermediaries with Hamas.
“Saudi Arabia has an important role to play in all of these issues, potentially in Gaza, in post-war planning, in Lebanon, in dealing with the challenges posed by Iran. We're going to talk about everything.'' “
Cook said one of the fundamental rifts between the Biden administration and Israel is that the United States “wants a deal” while “Israel wants a win.”
“Israelis see this in a completely different way. They want to change the rules of the game,” he said.
“And the deal that the Biden administration is offering doesn't change the rules of the game. And there's friction. And that's the source of friction and tension. I'm not saying the Israelis are here, but , the real problem is the difference between the two governments.
It is unclear when ceasefire talks will resume after Shinwar's death. One issue is whether Hamas will choose a new leader or key figures to take part in negotiations, given the fate of Sinwar and his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran earlier this year.
Asked by The Hill whether there had been any progress in negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, or whether Hamas would agree to release the hostages, Hamas Politburo leader Bassem Naim said in a text message: “No. ” he answered.
israeli official reportedly pursuing These are two parallel efforts towards a ceasefire and the possibility of hostage release. Another plan would begin with a broad ceasefire and hostage releases in Gaza and Lebanon, and a two-week ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of five hostages.
The U.S. plan, first proposed by Biden in late May, called for a six-week ceasefire, the release of hostages, the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. . The six weeks would be used to demonstrate good faith and build trust to negotiate a few more weeks of peace and an eventual end to the war.
Previous talks collapsed as some officials accused Shinwar of sabotage, but Netanyahu also faced criticism for moving the goalposts to ensure Israeli forces continued to control key areas of Gaza.
Mr. Blinken spoke with families of hostages held by Hamas on Tuesday and said he would discuss “the plans we have put on the table and the work we are doing to build on them, including potentially a new framework for diplomatic relations.” We discussed this with them while considering the following.” ”
The United States has expressed growing dissatisfaction with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In an Oct. 13 letter, Mr. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned that humanitarian aid flowing into the Gaza Strip had been cut in half and urged Israel to remove barriers to the flow of aid into the Strip. He said he was told within 30 days that if he did not do so, he would risk endangering U.S. weapons. delivery.
“Certainly we've seen progress since that letter, but it's not enough,” Blinken said Wednesday.
Sheila Efron, senior policy director at the Israel Policy Forum, said Blinken and Austin's letter was taken “very, very, very seriously” in Israel.
“Even though they knew something was going to happen, this word was unexpected. This is considered a stern warning. And we already have the prime minister ordering a surge of humanitarian supplies. “I'm seeing it first hand,” she said.during the panelSponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Israeli media reported on Saturday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the number of aid trucks entering Gaza to increase to 250 per day, but the United States wants that number to be 350.
israel statistics Document 797 Rescue Vehicle An estimated 35 trucks entered Gaza per day between October 1 and 23. This compares to about 225 trucks per day that entered Gaza in April after a pressure campaign by the Biden administration.
Efron said the April pressure campaign demonstrated U.S. influence.
“We hope this will be leveraged into action and move from just counting trucks to measuring outcomes,” she said.
“And I think the United States can force Israel to do this and also influence the Palestinian Authority if necessary. The United Nations is sometimes less principled, and Egypt is also more constructive.” We can be partners.''
