U.S. allies see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of Washington’s 15-point plan for Gaza as undermining confidence in the Board of Peace — and in the Trump administration’s ability to influence the Middle East more broadly.
It increasingly appears that the U.S. either doesn’t have — or isn’t willing to exercise — the leverage needed to deliver on Gaza, a number of diplomats and others familiar with U.S. strategy in the region told POLITICO. And that has them concerned about U.S. efforts at negotiations across the region.
Netanyahu’s defiance adds to the growing list of woes Washington faces as it struggles to reshape the Middle East, from ending the Iran war to winding down the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Bibi is rejecting the deal because he wants to look strong during an election campaign. It's entirely possible to think that he told Trump at their last meeting, "Look, I'm going to act like I'm standing up to you but just until after I get re-elected, okay?"
ReplyDeleteThe other possibility is that Hamas is making this easy. They refuse to disarm. They refuse to stop saying they'll attack Israel first chance they get. It makes it simple for Israel to say "Look, this plan is a joke while Hamas is around and we're not falling for it."