Egypt said on Monday that Israel was not cooperating with delivery of aid into Gaza and evacuations of foreign passport holders via the only entry it does not wholly control, leaving hundreds of tonnes of supplies stuck.
The only thing I can think of is that some of the more moderate Arab states put some pressure on the Biden administration. Because initially the posture seemed more like they were going to be 100% on board with whatever – even directing the State Department to not talk about things like ceasefires, de-escalation, and the normal stuff that the State Department should always be talking about. And it really seems like that has changed a bit since the end of last week/this weekend after Blinken was meeting with some of them.
The US has been pressuring for restraint behind closed doors while offering unconditional support in public from the start. Honestly, they haven’t even seemed to be trying too hard to keep it a secret as details of closed door talks have been leaked almost in real-time. Democrats don’t like Netanyahu, who’s aligned himself ever closer with Republicans over the years, and see both him and his policies as impossible obstacles to peace, so it’s seriously unlikely they’re doing it for his benefit. I’m sure it’s partly to help restore a sense of security in a traumatized Israeli public but it’s probably primarily messaging for others in the region. They don’t want to give the impression that there’s any daylight between the US and Israel so Iran/Syria/Hezbollah won’t get the idea that it’s worth gambling that the US won’t act if they attack. Especially if Hezbollah decides to go to war, everything will become exponentially worse for everyone involved, including the Palestinians.
I think they’ve been very consistent and deliberate on their messaging. They don’t want people in the state department to give official statement about de-escalation, but Biden and Blinken are still making those statements themselves, and they’re reportedly pressuring Israel privately too.
It makes sense. I don’t think there’s a more fraught topic than this. You want to control your messaging around de-escalation to word it correctly, and it’s best for Biden and Blinken to handle that directly.
Geopolitically, it has to remain clear that the US will keep its word and help Israel. And I think even the sharpest US critic would agree the US presence is a powerful deterrent against Iran and company pulling shit – and if they do, the US will need to react quickly. Iran is behind all this shit, no one should take issue with telling them to shut it.
The only thing I can think of is that some of the more moderate Arab states put some pressure on the Biden administration. Because initially the posture seemed more like they were going to be 100% on board with whatever – even directing the State Department to not talk about things like ceasefires, de-escalation, and the normal stuff that the State Department should always be talking about. And it really seems like that has changed a bit since the end of last week/this weekend after Blinken was meeting with some of them.
The US has been pressuring for restraint behind closed doors while offering unconditional support in public from the start. Honestly, they haven’t even seemed to be trying too hard to keep it a secret as details of closed door talks have been leaked almost in real-time. Democrats don’t like Netanyahu, who’s aligned himself ever closer with Republicans over the years, and see both him and his policies as impossible obstacles to peace, so it’s seriously unlikely they’re doing it for his benefit. I’m sure it’s partly to help restore a sense of security in a traumatized Israeli public but it’s probably primarily messaging for others in the region. They don’t want to give the impression that there’s any daylight between the US and Israel so Iran/Syria/Hezbollah won’t get the idea that it’s worth gambling that the US won’t act if they attack. Especially if Hezbollah decides to go to war, everything will become exponentially worse for everyone involved, including the Palestinians.
I think they’ve been very consistent and deliberate on their messaging. They don’t want people in the state department to give official statement about de-escalation, but Biden and Blinken are still making those statements themselves, and they’re reportedly pressuring Israel privately too.
It makes sense. I don’t think there’s a more fraught topic than this. You want to control your messaging around de-escalation to word it correctly, and it’s best for Biden and Blinken to handle that directly.
Geopolitically, it has to remain clear that the US will keep its word and help Israel. And I think even the sharpest US critic would agree the US presence is a powerful deterrent against Iran and company pulling shit – and if they do, the US will need to react quickly. Iran is behind all this shit, no one should take issue with telling them to shut it.