The Israeli military has ordered new forced evacuations in parts of central Gaza, signaling the expansion of ground operations and the latest displacement of Palestinians, many of whom have already been displaced multiple times over the course of Israel’s war on the territory. At least 50 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, pushing the official death toll past 40,200.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since October without securing any breakthrough for a ceasefire deal. In Chicago, where Democrats are gathered for the DNC, Gaza has been mentioned only in passing from the main stage of the convention. The party’s official platform adopted this week does not call for an arms embargo on Israel and reasserts unwavering U.S. support for Israel.
“There’s been an almost competition between Democrats and Republicans on ‘how much can we show Israel that we support them and that we have their back?’” says human rights lawyer Zaha Hassan, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and previously the senior legal adviser to the Palestinian negotiating team during Palestine’s bid for U.N. membership. “Why should Israel ever compromise its positions if they know that by holding out, they’ll get more goodies from the U.S.?”
“Doubts grow” implies that anybody believed it in the first place. I don’t doubt that the administration preferred a ceasefire, but Netanyahu has pretty much no incentive to even try for one. If anything, his motivation would be to keep stringing along the current administration and make the war as bloody and nasty as possible, since that will peal away support for Harris. If Trump wins, he doesn’t have to worry about getting nagged anymore, he may even get increased support from Trump and carte blanche to go all out.
If this current administration preferred a ceasefire, why send the 2000lb bombs? Complete head-scratcher there