The war in Gaza and Biden's calculations in light of it - opinion
| Published date | 26 April 2024 |
| Author | SALEM ALKETBI |
| Publication title | Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel) |
It's Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's determination to push forward with his plan to storm the city of Rafah without even listening to or considering the American administration's views – even though the US shares Israel's goal of completely eliminating the terrorist Hamas movement.
However, Washington doesn't want Jerusalem to take on the potential political fallout from a full-scale military invasion of the only city left in the Strip. It's seeking solutions and exits that ensure keeping over a million Palestinians on neutral ground before carrying out an invasion.
Recently, Israeli-American relations have become an election issue, and Netanyahu's insistence on storming Rafah even without US approval reflects his awareness of how the election factor is impacting things. He's using the invasion threat to put maximum possible pressure on all parties without exception.
For example: The Biden administration is strongly pushing for a ceasefire and a deal to recover Israeli hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group Hamas, including Americans, as an utmost priority.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu and his allies in the War Cabinet want to negotiate over hostages while applying maximum military pressure on Hamas – and they see continuing the war as the best way to extract concessions from the terrorist group.
No doubt the negotiation process has reached a stage where it's hard to imagine Hamas agreeing to hand over hostages without achieving its key demands – which in addition to a prisoner exchange mainly consist of a permanent end to hostilities, or at least a truce leading to a permanent ceasefire with guarantees from mediators; withdrawal of Israeli forces; return of displaced people to their homes; and providing necessary humanitarian aid.
Those are conditions to which Israel finds it very difficult to fully agree. As a result, both sides of the conflict are waging an intense nail-biting game, with each trying to force the other to accept its terms.
This position isn't helping President Biden, who seems to have lost the ability to influence the crisis – as reflected by the letter published in The New York Times from major Biden campaign donors threatening to stop pumping more money into his presidential bid.
They see deteriorating living conditions in Gaza and rising civilian casualties among Palestinians as helping...
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