Borrell slams US ‘fatigue’ in Middle East
As the hugely hypocritical US clings to its Tel Aviv ties by providing $1 bn arms packages, Biden’s support for Israel may serve as a political liability for the president’s re-election campaign.
On 13th May, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, criticised the United States for signs of “fatigue” in its efforts to find an adequate solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, AFP reported.
The diplomat detailed in a speech at Stanford University that he saw “a certain fatigue from the US side to continue engaging in looking for a solution,” as he condemned Israel’s relentless brutality and Netanyahu/Hamas’ “man-made disaster”.
However, when asked about the theoretical scenario of an Israeli invasion of Rafah – a southern Gazan city that over 600,000 Palestinians have now fled – US President Joe Biden stated “I’m not supplying the weapons.”, the BBC reported on 11th May.
Both Washington, the UN, and the EU have strongly advised Israel against an offensive in Rafah.
While the US endorses the two-state solution – where Israel and Palestine are both recognised as independent states – it insists that this can only be achieved through direct negations between Israel and Hamas.
But direct communication involves mutual cooperation, and so far, Israel does not seem willing to compromise as peace talks in Cairo have been unsuccessful.
On 4th May, an Israeli official stated that “under no circumstances” would Israel agree to a ceasefire deal to end the war as its core aim is to dismantle Hamas indefinitely. In mid-March, Hamas’ chief called for a ceasefire during a televised speech but Israel rejected the plea.
Since Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on 7th October, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has made a total of seven trips to the Middle East.
During his visits, he has succeeded in pushing Israel to allow more aid into Gaza and pleaded for Netanyahu and his government to accept the two-state solution as part of a larger deal that would include normalisation with Saudi Arabia.
As more of the world turns against Israel, Biden’s continuous support for Netanyahu’s government may cost him the US presidential election that is set for November 2024.
AFP/BBC/Guardian/Al Jazeera
