A long but tense meeting. Reflects the increasingly clear distance between the Israeli government Benjamin Netanyahu and thatU.S. government. But above all, quite eloquent proof of how United States They would lose patience with Israel. The personal conversation between the above-mentioned Netanyahu and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, would have been characterized by high voltage peaks. The same ones who allegedly urged the Israeli leader's office not to make the usual statement on the contents of the meeting and not to provide updates on the meeting to the War Cabinet, which, according to the Tel Aviv media, could be another sign of this disagreement between the two interlocutors.
Tensions between the USA and Israel
According to reports from the Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, the long confrontation between Blinken and Netanyahu would have been rather tense. The same source claims that the gap in opinion on the war between Israel and the United States continues to widen and Washington is losing patience. It is no coincidence that the correspondent of Joe Biden advised the Israeli prime minister to avoid “further civilian harm” in Gaza to avoid the risk that the conflict may extend throughout the Middle East. The connection to the events in southern Italy is clear LebanonThere, three members of Hezbollah, a group that supports Hamas, an ally of Iran, were killed in a targeted attack on their vehicle.
Israeli War Cabinet Minister, Benny Gantztweeted that he emphasized during his meeting with Blinken that “Israel is committed to completing the task of eliminating the Hamas threat in the south and bringing about a change in the situation in the north of the country to allow the return of residents.” “The spokesman for the US State Department Matthew Miller said that — in addition to discussions with Gantz about releasing hostages and dismantling Hamas's terrorist infrastructure — Blinken “underscored the urgent need to protect the lives of civilians and accelerate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza , including through an effective conflict management mechanism.” “.
After meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken said on social media “I also emphasized the importance of preventing harm to civilians, protecting civilian infrastructure and ensuring the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” the US diplomatic chief added.
The UN mission in the north of the Gaza Strip
After the closed-door meetings, Blinken held a press conference in which he confirmed the possibility of a UN mission in northern Gaza. The United Nations, the US Secretary of State said, will conduct an assessment mission “to determine what needs to be done to allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip.” Blinken then emphasized that the return of the Palestinians “will not happen overnight, there will be serious humanitarian and infrastructure issues. But the UN mission will begin a process that assesses these obstacles and how they can be overcome.”
The position of the Netanyahu government
Blinken had been tasked with using diplomacy to propose a decisive de-escalation. However, the senior US official has received anything but comforting signals. The Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallanttold the guest of honor that Israel would intensify its operations in the southern Gaza Strip in the region Khan Yunisand that these will continue until the armed forces capture the Hamas leaders and free the hostages.
Gallant also specified that the troops in the north of the Gaza Strip had changed strategyThey opted for a less intensive ground campaign with fewer ground troops and fewer air strikes and focused more on selective operations based on intelligence reports. Regarding the growing tensions on the border with Lebanon, Gallant himself recalled that Israel's priority is to enable residents of northern communities to return home safely. One goal, he added, could be better achieved through diplomatic channels, but a military alternative was not ruled out.
In the last hours, the head of US diplomacy reiterated his support for Israel, but also emphasized its importance to avoid further harm to the civilian population and to protect civilian infrastructure in Gaza, where the death toll has reached 23,210, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. In the long term, Blinken also reiterated the need to ensure lasting and sustainable peace for Israel and the region, including through the creation of a Palestinian state.
Divergent goals
The Goals Israel and the United States therefore clash with each other as Tel Aviv intends to complete the mission in Gaza, freeing and neutralizing the hostages HamasThere is also a risk of the conflict in the Middle East expanding. On the other side is the USA, which supports Netanyahu but is increasingly annoyed by its partner's behavior and would like to put an end to the war. Avoid, and this is the slogan that is repeated again and again in the hallways of the White House, that the fire could affect other countries.
“Israeli leaders will have to make difficult decisions alone,” Blinken said at a news conference, recalling that all of America's regional allies had told him that peace with Israel was achievable but that there must be an integrated approach that included: political path to a two-state solution.
The clarifications from the White House
In the evening, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby eased tensions somewhat by saying that the United States does not support a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Kirby said in a briefing with reporters that the US “does not support a ceasefire at this time. Nothing will change that, because we believe it would benefit no one but Hamas at this point.” America, he concluded, is pushing for “a humanitarian pause, but not a general ceasefire at this time.”