Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is on an official visit to the US, during which he has met with the highest and most important American officials.
According to media reports, Netanyahu met with US President Joe Biden in Washington D.C. yesterday.
The media reports that President Biden demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu swiftly finalize the agreement regarding the Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Netanyahu also met with US Vice President Kamala Harris, during which she expressed her strong concerns over the deaths in Gaza.
Vice President Kamala Harris told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in clear terms that the US will not remain silent about the situation in Gaza and that it is time to reach a ceasefire agreement.
She urged the Israeli Prime Minister to take steps towards a ceasefire agreement to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians.
The US presidential elections are approaching. Kamala Harris is the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
President Joe Biden was initially the candidate, but due to his advancing age and deteriorating health, he withdrew his candidacy and endorsed Kamala Harris.
The Republican Party has nominated former President Donald Trump as its candidate, and he is vigorously running his campaign.
The US presidential campaign has already started, and the American administration usually refrains from making significant decisions during this period.
Therefore, Netanyahu’s visit to the US is quite significant. Netanyahu has also met with Donald Trump, who is considered a strong supporter of Israel, while right-wing Israeli governments have reservations about the Democrats.
Since Netanyahu is also from Israel’s right wing, he couldn’t achieve what Israel needed from President Biden.
Now, in his recent visit, his meetings indicate that he is trying to negotiate with the future US presidential candidates.
Meanwhile, the People’s Republic of China is playing a crucial role in bringing Hamas and the Palestinian Authority closer. An important meeting has already taken place in Beijing.
As far as the People’s Republic of China is concerned, it does not have enough influence over Israel to force Netanyahu’s government to immediately cease fire in Gaza.
However, Chinese leadership is not disliked by both Arab countries and Israel in the Middle East. Therefore, it can be said that if China’s leadership advances with active diplomacy, there could be prospects for improvement.
China also played an essential role in restoring relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Now that China has talked about a uniform policy regarding Palestinian groups, it means that Chinese leadership can engage in diplomacy with both the PLO and Hamas on an equal and level basis, and both Palestinian groups can listen to China.
If the Palestinian leadership agrees on a single point, the chances of resolving the Palestine conflict could improve, and international pressure on Israeli leadership could increase. Israel is trying to make a deal with Palestinians on its own terms.
Currently, Israel is facing global criticism, even from its historical allies.
In such a situation, Israel urgently needs support from the US and Western Europe. Netanyahu’s visit to the US should be viewed in this context.
These conditions are in favor of Palestinians. The American administration is currently not capable of making any extraordinary decisions regarding Israel and Gaza. This situation is expected to remain the same for the next six to seven months.
The Labour Party has recently formed a government in the UK, and the new British government cannot make any extraordinary decisions in favor of Israel immediately.
The same situation is in France. Conversely, China is actively playing a role to turn global conditions in its favor.
Palestinian leadership also has the responsibility to consider the dire conditions of their people, especially women and children, in their war strategy.
This is a good opportunity, and Palestinian leadership should take advantage of it.
The entire benefit of the differences between Hamas and the PLO is going to Israel.
The Palestinian leadership should now make a final decision whether their freedom struggle is based on nationalism or religion. If the Palestinian leadership remains ideologically divided, achieving Palestinian independence will become increasingly difficult.
It should be remembered that Israel has not only continued the war in Gaza but is also conducting operations in Palestinian Authority areas.
According to recent reports, hundreds of Palestinian citizens and Jewish Israelis marched for peace in Tel Aviv, Israel’s capital, demanding an end to the war and violence in Gaza and normalizing Palestine-Israel relations.
This is a positive development. It is putting tremendous internal pressure on Netanyahu’s government. At the same time, it is also a lesson for the leadership of Hamas and the PLO that Palestinian people are tired of the war. If Palestinian leadership remains obstinate, Palestinian people could become dissatisfied with their leadership as well.
Meanwhile, Jewish citizens in Israel who oppose the right-wing Israeli government are also taking to the streets, increasing the pressure on Netanyahu. However, Netanyahu is still trying to continue using force.
This is evidenced by the fact that the Israeli army has expanded its ground operations in Khan Yunis, forcing Palestinian citizens to seek refuge in cemeteries.
According to foreign media, Israel continues its recent attacks on the devastated Gaza Strip, with fighter jets bombing homes in Khan Yunis, Bureij refugee camp, and Gaza City, resulting in several Palestinian deaths.
In the West Bank, a Hamas leader’s health deteriorated, and he died in Israeli custody. The 63-year-old Mustafa Mohammad Abu Ara died after being transferred to a hospital from Israel’s Ramon prison. This is a significant blow to Hamas.
Since the Gaza conflict began, Israeli aggression has been continuous. The conditions for Palestinians living in Israel are becoming increasingly dire.
Hamas leaders who have moved abroad are safe, but those in Israeli areas are in severe danger. International organizations and leaders have repeatedly called on Israel to cease fire in Gaza, but the Israeli government has ignored these calls and continues the mass killing of Palestinians.
The International Court of Justice has also ordered the Israeli government to cease fire in Gaza, yet the massacre of Palestinians continues.
A few days ago, the International Court of Justice declared the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories illegal.
The ICJ ruled that Israel should withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories as soon as possible.
The court has given its decision, but the real issue is who will enforce such decisions? The US, UK, France, and the European Union openly support Israel.
The Arab League is also unable to play an effective role regarding this issue because Arab countries have their own policies concerning Palestinian political leadership.
In such conditions, the best way forward is to support China’s efforts and ensure the protection of Palestinians in Gaza.