Netanyahu Likely To Delay Gaza Deal Until After November

Politico reported on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely delay Gaza ceasefire talks for at least another three months until after the US presidential election. In 2020 Netanyahu called Trump “the best friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.”

And as WSJ is now warning of the Dangers of a Lame-Duck President, Israel’s Gaza operations look to intensify even as the Biden administration just days ago claimed that a Hamas-Israel deal is “inside the 10-yard line and driving toward the goal line in getting an agreement that would produce a cease-fire,” according to the words of Secretary Blinken.

But the Politico report observes something closer to the reality, “With the U.S. presidential election now a little more than three months away, Netanyahu may believe he can escape the pressure he’s getting from Biden to stop the war and that Trump will go easier on Israel and also be far tougher on Iran and its proxies, especially Hezbollah in Israel’s north.”

Biden’s prior trip to Tel Aviv on Oct. 18, 2023, via AP

One senior foreign diplomat from the region was also cited as saying, “Our assessment is that Netanyahu wants to buy time until the November election.” And further:

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported last week that a separate intelligence assessment provided to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also concludes the Doha talks may not progress until November because of Netanyahu’s belief that he’ll have more maneuvering room under Trump. (The Egyptian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

After Biden announced he’s dropping out the presidential race Sunday, this changes the nature of Netanyahu’s expected meeting with the US president at the White House this week.

Israeli media says the prime minister struck a bipartisan tone in statements just before boarding a plane to Washington, where’s he’s also set to make a controversial address to Congress.

“This will be an opportunity to thank him for the things he did for Israel in the war and during his long and distinguished career in public service, as senator, vice president, and president,” the Netanyahu statement said of Biden, reacting to the Sunday announcement. 

The prime minister said he further intends to reaffirm to the US that “regardless of who the American people choose as their next president, Israel remains its most indispensable and strongest ally in the Middle East.”

The Netanyahu government in the recent past has been fiercely critical of Biden’s shifting policy approach to Gaza, especially after the US administration temporarily withheld shipments of bombs to Israel. But this criticism is now expected to calm down as Israel looks to a likely Trump administration to take to reins. 

#Netanyahu heads to #Washington amid #Biden‘s #withdrawal decision; #GazaWar, #Iran on agenda 🗞️ Catch the day’s latest news and updates ➠ https://t.co/Hik1HuGZZc pic.twitter.com/t23hoMNBNS

— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) July 22, 2024

Israel meanwhile is now focusing its southern operations on Khan Younis, with reports of heavy airstrikes as fighting there, amid the continuing humanitarian catastrophe as civilians flee the city.