The assassination attempt, which Trump narrowly escaped, will change the agenda in Washington, taking priority over incumbent nominee Joe Biden’s push for a deal between Israel and Hamas.
Before the shooting, there remained some slim hope that an agreement could be reached ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington next week, 24 July, to give a speech at a joint US Congress session and meet with Biden at the White House for the first time since Netanyahu took office in late 2022. Several high-level intensive meetings took place last week in Cairo and Doha involving Egypt, the US, Israel and the Qatari prime ministers.
Statements made by all parties involved, including Israeli defence and security chiefs as well as Biden, pointed to “progress”, expressing the cautious hope that the many complicated issues that have failed many similar rounds of talks in the past might be overcome. The only obstacle continued to be Netanyahu himself with his policy of making hardline, unattainable conditions aimed at failing the talks in order to keep his extremist coalition together, as well as his own seat.
However, Netanyahu’s efforts to sabotage ceasefire talks have not been limited to rhetoric. Only hours before the attempt on Trump’s life dominated the news cycle worldwide, the Israeli army carried out another horrific massacre of Palestinian civilians who had taken refuge in an area declared a safe zone by the Israeli army in Khan Younis.
The Israeli army reportedly used five, 1000-kg US-made bombs allegedly to target Hamas top military leader, Mohamed Deif. For this purpose, Netanyahu flagrantly and shamelessly confessed that he ordered the strike while fully aware that it would kill innocent civilians. Indeed, over 90 Palestinians, mostly women and children living in tents in the area known as Al-Mawasi on the outskirts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza were killed. No wonder the International Criminal Court officially requested an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, two months ago.
Mawasi is yet another demonstration of the unconscionable suffering of Palestinians in Gaza since Israel launched its revenge war nearly 10 months ago. Hundreds of thousands had been forced to live there in miserable conditions lacking food and medical care, after they were repeatedly pushed out of their homes by the fighting in northern and middle Gaza. After the Israeli prime minister disregarded worldwide warnings and appeals not to proceed with an invasion of Rafah, the last city along the border with Egypt that remained relatively safe from the destruction inflicted elsewhere in Gaza, over one million Palestinians fled for their lives. They had nowhere to go apart from Mawasi, where the population swelled over the last two months.
Before the Mawasi massacre on Saturday, the Israeli army had been carrying out nearly daily bombings of Palestinian schools run by UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for providing basic living needs for millions of Palestinian refugees, killing dozens of civilians. On Monday, Israel bombed the headquarters of UNRWA in Gaza after deeming it an enemy outpost that allegedly tolerated and employed Hamas members. Israel provided no evidence with which to back its allegations, prompting most of the world to resume their aid to UNRWA, which had been temporarily paused.
Even Biden, who repeatedly expressed his pride in being a Zionist, had to bow to pressure from younger Americans and members of his own Democratic Party, calling on Israel to end the war, noting that “many Palestinians have been killed.” Yet, while providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians and resorting to a public relations stunt by building a pier on Gaza’s shores to avoid difficulties in delivering aid, Biden also provided Israel with billions’ worth of weaponry intended to be used there.
After announcing the plan to reach a “permanent cessation of hostilities in Gaza,” saying it had the backing of the Israeli government, Biden was hoping to win back some of his critics, and perhaps achieve a rare diplomatic victory ahead of the elections in early November. Support for Israel had become an election issue as Trump and Republicans vowed to provide unlimited backing to the American ally “to finish the job”, i.e. kill thousands more Palestinians.
Netanyahu heads to Washington next week knowing he will be meeting an embattled president, not just because of ongoing debate over his ability to continue in the race after his poor performance in the first debate against Trump on 27 June. The attempt on Trump’s life has clearly further tilted the balance in his favour, an idea borne out by recent polls. It is unlikely that Biden will put pressure on Netanyahu to commit to reaching a deal in Gaza under these circumstances.
More rounds of lengthy negotiations, with Netanyahu playing politics while mercilessly killing Palestinian civilians at the same time, can be expected. Yet not only Washington determines the outcome of this insane war. Pressures within Israel itself, whether from the military and security establishment or the families of the more than 120 Israeli prisoners held in Gaza by Hamas, are likely to escalate now that it is crystal clear that Netanyahu’s strategy is to let the war drag on indefinitely in the hope of staying prime minister, satisfying those members of his cabinet and polity who rejoice in the mass killing of innocent women and children.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 July, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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