Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken came to Israel and met both with Prime Minister Netanyahu and with the war cabinet. Blinken brought a number of demands to Jerusalem about postwar planning, the need to create a Palestinian state, and “the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza.” Meir Ben-Shabbat explains the problem with such requests:
The Biden administration understands full well the importance of achieving a resounding victory over Hamas in Gaza. It would like Israel to get it done quickly. However, it has been asking many things from Israel—and by doing so it has only prolonged the path to victory and has been imposing a burden on Israeli shoulders.
Washington has been pressuring Israel to scale back the fighting, significantly increase the scope of humanitarian aid (knowing that most of it reaches Hamas), and launch a process with the UN(!) that will allow the return of the residents of northern Gaza to their homes. All this only exacerbates the operational challenges facing [Israel’s] forces. It also provides a backwind for Hamas by having its leaders hope that they will be able to drag Israel into a war of attrition that will end in an “arrangement.”
What’s more, the administration’s demands also make it harder to secure the release of the captives by alleviating the pressure on Hamas and allowing it to harden its stance.
Israel must end this war with a resounding victory. . . . Reaching this goal serves the interest not only of Israel and most of its neighbors but also of the U.S.
Read more on Israel Hayom: https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/01/12/biden-should-let-israel-get-the-job-done-its-in-the-us-interest/