The White House was recently seen calling for a change in strategy from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amidst the recent surge in violence between Israel and Hamas. It appears that the US administration has been exerting pressure on the country to shift its’ approach in order to return to a path of diplomacy.
In recent days, the Biden administration pressed Israel to adhere to a humanitarian ceasefire that was proposed by Egypt, which would have led to a cooling of tensions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was very vocal in calling for a cease-fire and expressed his commitment to working with both sides to bring an end to the violence and reach a lasting resolution.
The US has also offered a plan for a longer-term cease-fire and put pressure on the Netanyahu government to accept it. But it appears as if Netanyahu and his government have been hesitant on accepting any kind of unreasonable terms from Hamas, which has been launching rockets at civilians and infrastructure targets in Israel.
It is clear that the American government is doing whatever it can to force a pause in the conflict, and this is echoed by US President Joe Biden who commented on the situation: “I’ve been very clear, the end of the violence has to be immediate, a cease-fire has to start now.”
However, it appears that the White House’s efforts are being met with hesitance from Netanyahu and the Israeli government. The Israeli Prime Minister has declared that he is open to a diplomatic solution, but maintains that Israel must be able to respond to threats from Hamas.
The White House is also hoping that this pause will provide an opportunity for meaningful dialogue to take place between Israel and Hamas. However, the two sides have been unable to come to an agreement thus far and the situation remains highly fragile.
While the White House’s efforts to bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East are commendable, it appears as if their calls for a change in strategy from Netanyahu and his government have not yielded any results thus far. It remains to be seen if the White House will be able to turn the tide in the current crisis.