The American "Bloomberg" agency said, on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, that the White House "feels increasingly frustrated" about Israel's behavior in the war on Gaza, with the number of martyrs increasing to more than 11,000, and the failure to respond to the American administration's calls for a truce.

The agency believed that this would lead to a widening of the gap between the two close allies, noting that US administration officials are holding what they describe as “more difficult” talks with their Israeli counterparts at a time when the United States is trying to frame the conflict.

However, several people familiar with those talks, who requested anonymity because they are related to private deliberations, said that the American efforts were met with “ignorance” from Israel.

Washington's impatience is growing

The officials said that the administration has intensified its private messaging to Israel as impatience grows, but at the same time the administration is still fulfilling Israeli weapons requests, and has not yet threatened any consequences against its main partner in the region.

The tense talks highlight the dangers of the Biden administration's strategy, which has been largely based on the idea that a close public embrace of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would open up space behind the scenes to deliver tough messages and frame Israel's behavior in the war.

But this has proven to be a difficult balance as Israel escalates its aggression against the Gaza Strip, and the administration has also come under increasing pressure from Arab allies, who say embracing the Biden administration has given Netanyahu the green light to move forward.

At the same time, Netanyahu has so far ignored U.S. concerns about Americans still detained in Gaza, and the hundreds of Palestinian Americans who have been unable to leave the Strip, people familiar with the matter said.

In this context, Brian Katulis, vice president of the Middle East Institute for Research, said: “If Israel’s plan of action was basically that ‘there were 30,000 Hamas fighters and we will kill them all, and yes there will be blood and damage, and we regret that’, then "This is worrying."

He added: "This results in a humanitarian crisis inside Gaza, produces threats to American citizens who have not yet exited, and may lead to escalation of tensions throughout the region."

American anger

Another point of tension is the future of the Gaza Strip, where Netanyahu went from saying that Israel did not want to occupy the area again to pledging that Israeli forces would remain there indefinitely, sparking regional and international reactions.

In a related context, the officials said that the United States repeatedly warns about the need for Israel to protect civilians during its war on Gaza, pointing out that when the United States asked what happened when Israel bombed the Jabalia camp in the Gaza Strip and committed a massacre there; The Israeli response was almost dismissive, claiming that "the goal has been achieved."

Israeli officials declined to comment on the talks, but Israeli officials acknowledged that they could only continue the campaign for so long, according to Bloomberg.

Recently, the United States has begun to make its domestic anger toward Israel more public, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying last week that “far too many Palestinians have been killed.”

While National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “Hamas’ use of civilians as shields does not diminish Israel’s responsibility to act in ways that separate terrorists from civilians,” as he put it.

Biden also let some of his frustrations show, telling reporters on Monday that he was “not hesitant to express his concerns” about the fighting in Gaza hospitals. Last week, Biden also said that efforts to implement a humanitarian truce in the fighting “took time.” A little longer than I had hoped."

Partners pressure

Part of America's growing impatience is due to pressure from other partners, especially in the Arab world, and some leaders believe that Biden's embrace of Netanyahu, and his meeting with the war cabinet during his visit to Israel last October, gave the green light to the campaign now unfolding.

In turn, Karen Young, a senior researcher at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said: “There is enormous frustration with the United States, and what many see as the Biden administration’s lack of credibility,” adding, “It will take a long time to restore a sense of confidence.”

But amid these concerns, the United States went ahead with financial and military support for Israel, including providing some of the weapons that Israel used in the bombing campaign, including 155 mm artillery shells, which sparked protests from aid groups because of their poor accuracy.

For the 40th day, the Israeli occupation army is waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving 11,320 Palestinian martyrs, including 4,650 children and 3,145 women, in addition to 29,200 injured, 70% of whom are children and women, according to official Palestinian sources.

Source: Arabic Post