The Guardian's diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu challenged President Joe Biden and told Israeli domestic public opinion that he would not concede, in a way that put the American president in a dilemma as he tried to limit Israel's actions.

Wintour pointed out that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s statements on Thursday that Israel would not complete its military operations until after several months were a blow to America’s efforts to influence the Israeli government, along with the security intelligence assessment that half of the bombs that Israel fired into Gaza were “dumb bombs.” Gallant spoke of his expectations for a long operation in front of the camera and in front of Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser who visited Israel, where his face was stiff.

Sullivan came to Tel Aviv with a message about the necessity of changing the military operation, and ending it, if possible, within weeks. Galant's statements were confirmed by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said that Israel would not stop until victory was achieved.

Wintour said that the leak about the use of ammunition contradicted the US State Department's statement that it was not concerned, in addition to its assessments that the Israeli bombing cannot be classified as a violation of international law.

The two topics, ammunition and changing the course of the campaign, revealed in a clear way the nature of American influence regarding the Israeli political and military response to the Hamas attacks on October 7.

  Until recently, the White House's preferred narrative was that this war was justified, self-defense, and with an achievable goal. It was necessary for the United States to strongly embrace the shocked Israel, guide decision-making, and prevent the war from expanding into a regional conflict.

In its repeated press conferences and briefings, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was keen to provide examples confirming that Israel was listening to American advice, whether opening crossings for humanitarian aid and establishing safe zones or modifying the aerial bombing campaign and post-war planning.

However, the narrative began to unravel and on the brink of disagreements that emerged between the United States and Israel, not between methods but rather goals.

On Monday, after two days of international criticism over Washington's use of its veto in the UN Security Council to prevent a resolution calling for a ceasefire, the State Department spokesman took blows in defense of Israel, and said in one of the briefings that the United States was "interacting" with Israel over the killing of a Reuters journalist, Issam Abdullah, the infuriating pictures of Palestinian detainees who were stripped of their clothes, and the “disturbing reports” about the use of white phosphorus, which were revealed and detailed by the Washington Post.

Late that day, Joe Biden described his commitment to Israel as unwavering, but added, “They have to be careful. World opinion may have shifted overnight and we cannot allow this.” On Tuesday, in what was interpreted as his clearest comments about Israel’s conduct in the war, Biden said Israel risked losing international support over its “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza. He criticized Netanyahu's extremist government, which he said did not "want anything even remotely close to a two-state solution." It is not a discovery that Netanyahu and his government oppose the two-state solution, but this is ignored.

With Biden, it is not possible to know whether what he is saying is a deliberate communication strategy or what Middle East Institute researcher Brian Katulis calls “modified diplomacy,” or something that pushes politics a little. Whatever the case, it is not a great policy for the president, as in one of his electoral districts there is criticism that he “allows Israel to kill 18,000 Palestinians” and there is an impression that Israel takes his weapons but does not listen to his advice. The newspaper says that Biden has become part of Netanyahu's survival plan, as the latter is running an election campaign, expected next year, and not a war. The argument is that he wants to use unwanted American interference in Israel's security as a tool in his campaign.

In a short video in Hebrew, Netanyahu claimed that he is the only one capable of thwarting the desire of the United States and the Arab countries to revive the two-state solution. “I will not allow this, and the matter is in Israel’s hands, and it must not repeat the mistakes of Oslo,” and “I will not allow it, and after all the great sacrifices made by our citizens and fighters, we will not put [In authority] in Gaza, there are people teaching terrorism, supporting it, and financing it. “Gaza will neither be Hamastan nor Fatahstan.”

Hence, the Prime Minister tried to prevent the Western solution to hand over control of Gaza to the renewed National Authority as well as the West Bank. The remaining solution is for Israel to administer the Palestinian territories, something the United States has said will not happen. Biden's dilemma is how to deal with Netanyahu and his government after the differences become public. It is better to invest in another Israeli leader and try to reach some kind of understanding with the Arab leaders in a way that pressures Netanyahu to accept, which is normal for the differences of allies during the war, but a complete disagreement over the long goal of the war must be avoided.

Danger in the West Bank

In its editorial, the newspaper focused on warning of the dangers of what is happening in the West Bank and that the suffering of the Palestinians extends far beyond Gaza. It said, “The scale of the war and its massive atrocities in Gaza have captured the world’s attention, but the increasing violence in the occupied West Bank should also cause concern. Last year was the bloodiest since 2005, and this year is worse.”

It referred to what Volker Turk, the United Nations human rights official, said about the situation as “potential for explosion,” warning of the intensity of violence and serious discrimination against Palestinians. According to United Nations data, more than 450 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers this year. 28 Israelis were killed in the West Bank in 2023. Raids on the Jenin camp continued until Thursday, and there is a fear that health care will not be available to the camp’s residents, according to charitable organizations. Continuous raids led to the death of civilians, including journalist Sherine Abu Aqla.

At the beginning of the year, Human Rights Watch warned of “organized impunity” for the killing of Palestinian children. The new wave of armed resistance has emerged in recent years amid the failure of the Palestinian leadership, anger over security force violations, settler violence, despair over the ongoing occupation, the decline in the perspective of a two-state solution, and settlement expansion. Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested during the past two months.

On Thursday, two members of the Freedom Theater in the West Bank were arrested without charges, and there are increasing reports of violations against detainees. At the same time, settler violence has forced many communities to leave their homes, and Palestinians face hunger, increasing danger, and humiliation. Thousands of them lost their jobs or had their salaries frozen after Israel decided to withdraw their work permits. The National Authority does not receive the import tax money on which it depends. Farmers were prevented from picking olives that were left to rot on the trees.

The newspaper commented on the British government’s announcement of preventing extremist settlers from entering Britain, but the real problem is not extremism, but rather that the Israeli government helps and encourages extremism. Benjamin Netanyahu gave broad authority to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who wants to double the number of settlers and claims that “there is no such thing” as the Palestinian people. Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of Security and the person convicted of incitement to racism, provided weapons to the settlers or “security teams.” The Biden administration was said to have delayed a deal of 20,000 rifles because of this.

The newspaper said that what is happening in the West Bank is important for the future of all Palestinians, and the National Authority no longer has confidence, and it will certainly not survive the economic collapse. This week, the Israeli Ambassador to Britain, Tesvi Hotovely, responded to a question about the two-state solution, saying: “Absolutely not” to the two-state solution, and her position is not strange because her Prime Minister is committed to killing the perspective of a Palestinian state and told a number of representatives this summer of the necessity of “removing” the Palestinian state, but the way the ambassador responded and her disdain for the question is shocking.

The newspaper wonders about Netanyahu's vision for the Palestinians. He denied the allegations that he wants to expel the Palestinians from Gaza, and the option is a permanent status for them as second-class citizens in one state. Human rights organizations such as the Israeli B'Tselem, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights said that the Palestinians are subjected to an apartheid regime. 

It said that talk about a two-state solution remained a matter of ambition to cover up the inaction of the international community and is no longer present. Today, it appears to be a theory, and in light of the current situation, it must become the center of diplomatic action.

Source: Sama News