US President Joe Biden's statements about the need for a "pause" in the war between Israel and Hamas raised several questions about the chances of achieving it and the ability to convince Tel Aviv of it, but at the American internal level they opened the door to talk about the extent of the consistency or confusion of the White House's policies during this war. .

On a partisan level, the US presidential call for a pause was met with speculation - and sometimes accusations - of the Biden administration submitting to the “demands of the leftists and progressives” in his party for a ceasefire, indicating the growth of a trend that raises concerns within the “Democratic Party” about the country’s foreign policy towards Palestinian civilians, and what They consider it “blind support” for the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. On the other hand, Biden, of course, faced widespread anger and resentment from Israel’s defenders.

Biden’s statement about the “pause” came during his speech in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening to collect donations for his election campaign, when a woman named Jessica Rosenberg asked him to call for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, to which Biden responded by supporting the idea, saying: “I think we "We need a pause, to allow time to extract the prisoners."

Biden added, defending his administration's policies: “I was the one who convinced Bibi (Netanyahu) to call for a ceasefire to release the prisoners, and I was the one who spoke to Al-Sisi (Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi) to convince him to open the door to the Rafah crossing.”

Biden spoke about the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, saying: “We have seen the heartbreaking pictures from Gaza, the children who sleep while crying for the loss of their parents, and the parents who write the names of their children on their hands and feet so that they can be identified if they die under the rubble.” He added: “Every life is innocent.” “To lose is a tragedy.”

The progressive movement within the Democratic Party warned the Biden administration against undermining American democracy, and the cost of moral responsibility for the deaths of thousands of innocent Palestinians. On the other hand, some Republican lawmakers expressed their anger, as Senator Marsha Blackburn said on the “X” platform: “President Biden is now demanding a ceasefire and says: We need a pause between Israel and Hamas,” and she asked: “Where did your statements of solid support for Israel go?”».

Policy confusion

The Biden administration's strategy, according to the statements of its officials, focuses on two basic goals: The first: eliminating Hamas, and the second: avoiding a regional war. But it faces an attack from the right, which accuses it of “reluctance to provide strong aid and a decisive stance in support of Israel and its right to defend itself.”

The administration is also facing an attack from the progressive left, which is demanding a call for a ceasefire and the adoption of a “humanitarian truce” to protect civilians who are falling day after day, amid concern among the “Democratic Party” about losing the votes of many Arab-American and Muslim votes in the upcoming presidential elections. Biden is also facing increasing pressure from both the right and the left to remove the besieged Americans and hostages from the region.

Public advice and actual violations

Publicly, Biden and members of his administration stressed the need for Israel to “abide by the laws of war and international humanitarian law, and take all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties.” However, in practice, estimates by human rights and international bodies indicate practical violations committed by Israel during its war against Gaza.

In reference to an attempt to avoid the escalating American embarrassment as a result of what Israel is committing, John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, tried to justify by saying: “The loss of innocent lives is a tragic and unavoidable consequence during war,” and stressed the existence of what he described as “evidence.” “Documented” proves that “Hamas uses civilians as human shields.”

Zaha Hassan, a researcher at the Carnegie Foundation for Studies, says, “International law determines the conduct of war and the standards that are considered legitimate self-defense, and therefore it cannot be said that everything is permissible or that one war crime justifies another.”

Human Rights Watch described the Israeli strikes on the civilian population in Gaza as a “war crime.”

Plans and expansion

While the Biden administration is trying to show some kind of independence when it comes to Israeli operational plans, and that it “does not interfere in imposing its vision on Israel.” Several White House sources indicate that “Washington is trying to persuade Tel Aviv to follow a gradual approach to achieve its goal of pursuing Hamas instead of a large-scale ground attack that would lead to a huge number of civilian casualties.”

Behind the scenes, Biden administration officials are speaking to their Israeli counterparts about “the fears and damage resulting from Israel’s actions and the thousands of civilian casualties, which will ignite a sweeping conflict and increase Israel’s isolation in the region.”

Daniel Byman, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), believes that “there are justified fears among the Biden administration about Israel’s actions that may lead to Hezbollah’s involvement in the battle.” He continues: “A broader war involving Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups will pose a serious threat to Israel and increase the threat of international terrorism.”

End of war

Between calls for a truce and support for Israel, the US administration is witnessing confusion, not only regarding reducing or increasing support, but also at the level of formulating solid policies and a clear-cut plan for after the end of the fighting phase, and regarding the fate of Gaza and the Palestinians.

The shape of the end of the fighting phase is shrouded in mystery. Israel, for its part, says that “its goal in this war is to cleanse Gaza of (Hamas), eliminate the movement, and destroy its military structure,” a goal that is the subject of extensive talks between Israeli and American officials.

There is much debate about Israel's desire to reoccupy Gaza, even temporarily, and talk about transferring authority in Gaza to the control of the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, as well as some ideas about arrangements to call in "international peacekeeping forces" to maintain security when military actions subside. He examined the possibility of proposing a broader “political solution” between Israelis and Palestinians.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute, said: “While American officials say they are asking Israel difficult questions about its military operations and long-term war goals, what the end of the military operations and war will look like for Washington remains ambiguous.”

He adds: “There does not seem to be a clear endpoint for the Biden administration regarding the strategic consequences of the war and how to manage it in a way that leads to the desired results.”

While Biden expressed his opposition to Israel’s restoration of control over the Gaza Strip, and the White House repeatedly denied its intention to deploy American forces in Gaza; However, Washington is working to strengthen its military presence by sending advisors to Tel Aviv to provide advice and support amid fears of the expansion of the conflict after repeated clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat