Op-ed by an influential (and pro-Israel) American diplomat. If Israel was winning against the Gazans, this wouldn't be written!
Such Op-ed columns in NY Times, especially by Israel Firsters in America, are quite significant and often reflect the White House's non-public stance. But you'd notice even this guy is short of giving Palestinian a sovereign State of their own and I believe he is giving whatever 'concessions' to Palestinians because Israeli policies are damaging to America's own interests!
The administration has failed to achieve its goals on Israeli policies and actions. It should change course.
www.nytimes.com
Back in 2001, in a
visit to the illegal West Bank settlement of Ofra, an out-of-office Benjamin Netanyahu, apparently unaware he was being
recorded, boasted to his hosts that
“America is a thing you can move very easily — move it in the right direction.”
At the time, Mr. Netanyahu was talking about his experience with the Clinton White House; he had
undermined Washington-led peace efforts during his first stint as Israel’s prime minister. But more than 20 years later, Mr. Netanyahu’s assessment
feels uncomfortably familiar.
...
As a result, as the war has enteed its fourth month, the Biden administration has achieved almost none of its goals regarding Israeli policies and actions. More than 23,000 Palestinian civilians, including over 10,000 children, have been
killed so far, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, and the threat of mass starvation and disease looms. Israel’s government has rejected any horizon for peace, and, after an initial pause in fighting and a hostage/prisoner exchange, such talks seem now to be at an impasse. The only “success” the United States can claim is in its steadfast support for Israel. And yet the unconditional nature of that backing stands in the way of any prospect of achieving its other policy goals and finding a path out of this horror.
...
Rather than slowly amplifying expressions of disquiet, Team Biden should make a course correction —
starting with exercising the very real diplomatic and military leverage at its disposal to move Israel in the direction of U.S. interests, rather than vice versa.
...
The first and most critical shift required is for the administration to embrace the need for a full cease-fire now. That demand cannot be one of rhetoric alone. The administration should condition the transfer of further military supplies on Israel ending the war and stopping the collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population, and should create oversight mechanisms for the use of American weaponry that is already at Israel’s disposal.
Ending Israel’s Gaza operation is also the surest way to avoid a regional war and the key to concluding negotiations for the release of hostages.
Washington can also leverage the deliberations underway at the International Court of Justice, where South Africa
has accused Israel of being in violation of its obligations as a signatory to the 1948 international genocide convention. Israel is
demonstrably nervous about the proceedings and understands that an International Court of Justice ruling has heft; indeed, South Africa may have already done more to change the course of events than three months of American hand-wringing. The Biden administration does not need to support the South African claims, but it can and should commit to being guided by any findings of the court.
Finally, the United States should desist from making endless ritual incantations about a future two-state outcome, which are all too easily brushed off by Mr. Netanyahu. It should take at face value his government’s categorical rejection of Palestinian statehood and its written
coalition guidelines that assert
“the Jewish people have an exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel.” Washington should instead challenge Israel to set out a proposal for how all those living under its control will be guaranteed equality, enfranchisement and other civil rights.
There are long-term security implications, too. The callous Israeli military campaign and its profound impact on civilians will almost certainly provide recruitment material for armed resistance for years to come. Arab countries will find cooperation and normalizing relations with Israel more burdensome, and Israel’s opponents are gaining greater resonance: Hamas displaying resilience, the Houthis an impressive disruptive capacity and Hezbollah disciplined restraint.
www.aljazeera.com
