At the time of this visit, “I believe the United States needs to end the war within weeks, not months.”
As the war in the Gaza Strip to eradicate the Palestinian armed faction Hamas has reached its 62nd day, it has been reported that the United States has begun to pressure Israel to end the war.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources familiar with the matter, reported on the 7th (local time) that Secretary Blinken visited Israel last week and pressured the war cabinet, saying, “The war must end within weeks, not months.”
The United States has Israel as its ally in the Middle East, but as civilian casualties have increased since the start of the war and the humanitarian crisis has emerged in the Gaza Strip, differences between the two countries have been openly exposed. There were also differences of opinion over the governance of Gaza.
When Secretary Blinken visited Israel last week, coincidentally, the temporary ceasefire for the release of hostages that had been in danger with Hamas was broken at the right time. On the 1st, the day Secretary Blinken left, Israel resumed military operations.
According to reports, Israeli officials at the time did not give a definite answer regarding the end of the war despite pressure from Secretary Blinken. However, the WSJ reported that they expressed interest in normalizing the phenomenon.
Considering the economic impact of the current war situation, one U.S. official explained, “We all know that the longer the war goes on, the greater the impact on everyone will be.”
In relation to this, CNN recently cited multiple high-ranking U.S. officials as predicting that the ground war in the southern Gaza Strip will continue until January. From then on, it will be a low-intensity local strategy aimed at specific targets.
However, despite this outlook, mainly among U.S. officials, there are still great concerns about Israel’s actual future war developments. There were also reports that Hamas forces, which Israel declared to be eliminated, are still alive and well.
According to Al Jazeera, an Arab media outlet, more than 16,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. In addition, the humanitarian situation, including medical care and food, in the Gaza Strip is poor.
In relation to this, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter on the 6th the previous day and presented to the Security Council the urgent need for a ceasefire to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.