The government on Monday, welcomed a new and surprising member on Monday. U.S. Sec. of State Antony Blinken, here amid the administration's total backing of Israel, participated in the approval of operational plans, just as Henry Kissinger, then the American top diplomat, had done during the 1973 Yom Kippur war.
More stories:
His involvement can be a testament to two things. First, there is no daylight between the U.S. and Israel, as U.S. President Joe Biden had already said and as the dispatch of two carriers and the constant supply of armaments and other equipment attests. And the second is the agreement by Israel to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza, which facilitated Biden's visit on Wednesday.
3 View gallery
U.S. Sec. of State Antony Blinken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the IDF General HQ in Tel Aviv on Monday
(Photo: GPO)
There is no doubt that both act as a deterrent to Iran and Hezbollah, to refrain from opening a second front against Israel, but they will come at a cost that must be recognized. The Americans have taken the leadership role over the conduct of the war, in accordance with their interests in the region.
If Biden may not support an Israeli initiative to actively remove a Hezbollah threat from Israel's north and is interested in avoiding a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and any violations of International law.
He is consistent in his determination to secure the safety of hostages who have American citizenship, so much so, that a separate deal for their release, perhaps with the mediation of Qatar, is possible, while he demands humanitarian gestures be made by the Israeli government without a return. The White House is ultimately concerned with the lives of American citizens and only after that, with Israeli soldiers' lives.
Israel's reliance on the United States will increase amid Biden's arrival to what may turn out to be a regional summit that will define the scope of the war, as part of the comprehensive response to the Iranian axis which also includes Russia. In that context, it would be interesting to see what transpires after Monday's conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the prime minister. Thus far the Russian leader had shown Israel a cold shoulder and exhibited an intolerable cynicism towards the barbaric acts of the Hamas terrorists.
There are increasing voices in the IDF who believe the Hamas attack was in fact an Iranian one and included instructions from Tehran. Commanders in the south are itching to start the ground incursion into the Gaza Strip. They say they are prepared and believe it would be a mistake to delay it further without affecting troop readiness and morale.