The worst attack against Israel since 1973 it even surprised the American president Joe Biden and its administration. Just a week ago, his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, declared that “the Middle East is calmer today than it has been in the last twenty years.” While Israel is now emerging from one of the darkest days in his history and considering all options in response to the massacre he committed HamasThe White House is grappling with a crisis that is forcing it to change its foreign policy plans.
Biden has already spoken to the Prime Minister on the phone Benjamin Netanyahu They demonstrate the closeness of the United States and offer all possible support to the Israeli government and people. The president’s message to the nation is even clearer. “Israel has the right to defend itself, period,” he said, adding that “my government’s support for its security is rock-solid and unwavering.”
In his speech, the president then warned: “We warn any party that is hostile to Israel not to try to take advantage of this situation.” The fear is that theIran, Israel’s arch-enemy and Hamas financier, could make risky moves. Therefore, Biden must make it clear that any attempt to open another front in this moment of instability will be met with resolve.
The expressions of support seem to archive that very cold in relations between the United States and Israel. For months, Biden refused to meet Netanyahu. An unmistakable sign of disapproval of an administration that Biden described as “the most extremist of those I have ever known.” Just a few days ago, Biden agreed to a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Jewish state on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. The subject of the talks was progress in negotiations to normalize relations between Israel and TurkeySaudi Arabia. According to various rumors, the negotiations appear to be almost at their final stages.
It is precisely on this front that the White House must now prepare Emergency plan. The agreement with the Saudis is faltering. A signal emerges from the tone of the Foreign Ministry’s statement in Riyadh, which does not condemn the actions of the Islamist militants, but accuses the Israelis of “the ongoing occupation and deprivation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”
Who would benefit from a breakdown in negotiations with the Saudis?? Experts agree that Iran, Hamas’ main supporter and Israelis’ historic enemy, is the real winner in this scenario. John Hannah, national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, argues that “the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia poses a mortal threat to the project at the heart of the Iranian revolution: the erasure of Israel from the map.”
Meanwhile, Tsahal forces announce a long operation Counteroffensive with still undefined goals. There are fears that attacks by the Shiite movement Hezbollah in Lebanon, another key Tehran ally, could prompt Netanyahu to deal a major blow to Iran.
For CNN the attack is in the Middle East one of the most sensitive geopolitical situations of the Biden presidency. The White House is aware of this and will likely use the next few days to make all diplomatic efforts to persuade countries in the region to curb Iranian influence. For this reason, the American President has already contacted Jordan’s King Abdullah.
Biden’s initiative would also aim to, in a later phase, a armistice. The precedent dates back to two years ago, when there were serious clashes between Israel and Palestine. The president spoke with Netanyahu six times and mediated with his Palestinian counterpart (actually only for the West Bank), Mahmoud Abbas, and the Egyptian Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Egypt and Qatar also proved crucial to their relations with Hamas. In 2021, the American intervention was successful. However, the context of the current crisis appears more complicated and could still present unpredictable and dangerous developments.