US Secretary of State Blinken met Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday in Jerusalem
Is the eighth good? It’s too early to tell. Certainly, the US Secretary of State is determined to make trip number eight to the Middle East from 7 October the highlight. The moment is delicate. The exit of the centrist Benny Gatnz from the Israeli government, while not putting the majority at risk, alters the balance, even if it is not yet known in which direction. The White House wants to tip the balance in its favor. Or, rather, in favor of the truce. That the proposal on the table is “made in the USA” – despite the formal attribution to Tel Aviv – has appeared clear since the presentation by President Joe Biden on May 31st. Ten days later, the agreement for the ceasefire and simultaneous release of the hostages is bogged down. The issue remains the end of the war, requested by Hamas and flatly rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Also on Saturday night, tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to ask for an agreement to be reached. A few hours earlier the army had freed four hostages. An undoubted success which, however, did not alter the status quo. Hence the entry of Antony Blinnken onto the scene.
The head of US diplomacy first flew to Cairo from where he launched an appeal to the Arab countries: “If you want a ceasefire, put pressure on Hamas to say yes.” The armed group – he reiterated – “is the only obstacle”. A statement denied by senior official Sami Abu Zuhri who accused the Secretary of State of “bias”. Beyond the ballet of perfunctory declarations, however, the greatest US pressure is aimed at Israel where Blinken arrived in the evening to meet, in Jerusalem, with Netanyahu and, then, in Tel Aviv, with the Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant today, however, he will see Ganz.
Two actions demonstrate this. First, with a change of course compared to previous vetoes, Washington had the truce plan approved yesterday by the UN Security Council, with only Russia abstaining, asking Hamas to accept it (the three-phase project announced by the American president on May 31 and shared with Israel has the ambition of putting an end to hostilities in the Strip, through the progressive withdrawal of the IDF and the release of all the hostages). Second, it was circulated in the US media the hypothesis of separate negotiations for the release of the five abductees with American nationality. Netanyahu, however – beyond the friendly official statement – does not seem willing to give in.
Attacks continued throughout the day in Rafah and in the central part of the Strip, in particular the city of Deir al-Balah, near Nuseirat, where the hostages were freed in a bloody raid. The Palestinians report over 270 deaths, the Israelis speak of less than one hundred and he specified that among the victims there were no other kidnappers. Figures impossible to verify independently. Meanwhile, the total toll, according to the Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, has exceeded 37 thousand. Three of the four abductees were found at the home of Abdullah Jamal, spokesperson for the Gaza Ministry of Labor, a member of Hamas and a «journalist of al-Jazeera », claims the army. In reality, the broadcaster specified that Jamal has been a sporadic collaborator in the past.
