Visiting the US, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has tried to set out a change in Israel’s tone toward the US. In these comments he took a shot at Prime Minister Netanyahu for “provoking” the US and doing too much of his US diplomacy through the media.
Israel’s relationship to the US has long centered around intense lobbying and getting embarrassingly large amounts of military aid ($58 billion in 20 years, more than all other US aid recipients combined). Netanyahu has been increasingly politicizing US relations.
Netanyahu’s shift was greatly driven by the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran. Netanyahu opposed the US deal loudly, heavily lobbying against it, and praising former President Trump for withdrawing the US from the deal. As Biden negotiates to save the deal, Netanyahu has again been very publicly critical.
There is concern that Netanyahu might damage US ties in the long run, and Gantz is pushing a much softer tone, saying he thinks Israel should keep its disagreements on Iran to private discussions, and most importantly out of the media.
Israel’s position probably won’t steer the US on Iran at any rate, but keeping it behind closed doors would be a relief to Biden Administration efforts. The problem is that taking disagreements to the Israel-sympathetic press was often about raising pressure on US officials, and Gantz’s position will probably come under deep criticism within Israel the minute they don’t get their way on a big issue.
Will not provoke US. Good idea, but too little and too late. Conflict with Palestinians was such a provocation and purely for internal political purposes,
Outcome?
Big headache for US. International outcry, UN Human Rights Commission opening an ongoing inquiry into abuse of Palestinians, Iranian negotiations in this climate not favorable to US.
Other regional and global powers getting involved, UN Security Council getting resolutions vetoed by US. But most damaging of it all is entry of Egypt into Gaza. During bombardment, Egypt’s ambulances entered Gaza, and Rafah crossing opened for emergency supplies,
US relationship with Egypt is complicated — this event made it infinitely more complicated.
Would US allow Israel to accidentally hit Egyptian ambulance? To cause international incident? Of course not, Biden stepped in and essentially legitimized Egypt’s intervention, by asking Egypt to mediate, and telling Israel to stand down.
Egypt has now an upper hand. Israel cannot take hostile action against “peace broker”, but must find the way to nudge Egypt out of Gaza.
Which will not happen. US once comfortable position of preaching human rights to Egypt just got torpedoed. Egypt has no reason to withdraw from Gaza — at present some cease fire monitoring personnel. Then came head of Egypt’s intelligence to meet Hamas. Them came discussion on reconstruction. Money pledged by China, Qatar, Egypt and others.
There seems to be a process under way to legitimize construction and aid coming directly to Gaza — not controlled by Israel. This will be a slow process, but will not cease. Meaning that Biden administration will be will for the foreseeable future tied onto the Israeli-Palestinian problem. Biden must be furious.
The likely plan has Egypt the designated refugee recipient when Israel finally sends the tanks and bulldozers in and formally declares Gaza a part of the Jewish state of Israel, …the final solution.
Israel can’t kill all those people, can’t force them all to leave, and certainly can’t end up with them being Israeli citizens. Despite their power, these are tricky competing goals.
They’re doing it on the West Bank and East Jerusalem as we speak.
It is also important to keep the aid out of the hands of the self-enriching Fatah elites and going to reconstruction. I hope other nations will join Egypt’s effort, in alliance with Egypt, and not through the UN, since the US will not allow a Security Council resolution.
I think this will be a multi-prong process.
Let us remember — Israel allows no aid to go to Gaza directly. And the aid received from other countries for Gaza is usually garnished for unpaid bills, like electric or heating, or even security compensation. If help is in goods, there is a frequently changing list of prohibited items, which Israel then keeps. As you know, attempt to change the rule — and supply Gaza directly — was repelled by force and ships forced into an Israeli port.
UNRWA is UN agency helping Palestinian refugees. US cut off the funding — I hear Biden may reverse the decision.
The two prong approach is to increase funding to UNRWA. China has already upped the funding.
Second is — as far as talk goes — to channel through Egypt. There were a number of public statements coming from Egypt talking about reconstruction of infrastructure as well as emergency temporary housing.
As Egypt is here to secure cease fire, it has an excuse to stay indefinitely. I cannot see Israel unilaterally declaring peace deal with Hamas,
But I expect a GREAT deal of pressure on Egypt to cease its involvement in Gaza. Because Israel would want status quo ante — full control of aid to Gaza.
This is why I suspect this will be a process. This fully expected operation against Gaza was this time used deliberately by Egypt— so I suspect it was coordinated with others.
What we are about to see is another US-Turkey pattern of relation. Egypt like Turkey is purchasing Russian arms and military planes. It has reoriented wheat purchase — ie food security — to Russia. It has worked with Russia in Libya.
Over time, we will see a more engaged Egypt in Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
And that engagement will end up producing more forced moves. US will find out that Egypt is not about to roll over dutifully following human rights accusations. Having emerged as a unified and stronger country following the Mubarak-Morsi period, avoided civil war between Brotherhood and Salafists — Egypt is becoming a regional power. Encouraged and supported by Russia and China.
And this is why this time Israel’s rash moves, evicting Palestinians, interfering with use of religious site, etc. lit the fuse — Egypt and others were ready to exploit.
And yes, it is high time Israel stops provoking US, stirring up international attention to dormant Israeli-Palestinian conflict and damaging Biden’s domestic and global priorities.
Gantz and Netanyahu are like Trump and Biden. They all are horrendous but Gantz and Biden are horrendous with better manners.
Beat me to it. Things will not change with Bibi gone.
Gantz is a smooth character, he is…………………..
But now on Iran and Gaza, the US press is no longer the sympathetic force raising pressure on US officials. Netanyahu poisoned that by going Trump as the US press went NeverTrump. He made a disconnect.
Now they’ve got to keep out of the press, because the press won’t help them.
Israel does not give a crap about the press or the U.S. It just will not stop, just like the Terminator movie, until the Palestinians and any other Arab in their way is gone.
There is oil and natural gas in Gaza and Golan. There are water aquifers. Israel wants it all, and the only way is to cleanse the area of Arabs.
Don’t forget Lebanon. It has the Litani river which the Apartheid state has been lusting after for ages. Hezbollah is a real problem for the zionists, and cutting them off from Iran was one of the reasons for the Destruction of Syria project.
Israel seemingly is tempted to reach beyond its border to get access to the needed water. “Almost half of the water currently used in Israel is captured, diverted or preempted from its neighbors.”
That’s what they do – steal things.
50 yrs after the murders of Jack & Bobby the Deep State still won’t open the file. Yet more dangerous is the file on 9/11, and Israel has its copy.
So the US is good and captured, …or as they say, “US support is ironclad.”