Joe Biden’s administration had threatened that if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not noticeably improve, there would be consequences. It did not achieve much.
It was the strongest leverage that Washington had used shortly before the election: If the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip does not improve within 30 days, there will be consequences in terms of U.S. military aid, Joe Biden’s secretaries of state and of defense warned the Israeli government in a letter.
The deadline has now passed, but hardly anything has changed for the good, aside from a few hurried promises that Israel threw in at the last minute. But U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken still appears satisfied.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Obstinacy
So, was it just another loud yell? It is not the first time that Biden’s administration has been reminded how little influence it has on the Israeli government. It has been that way for a while, long before Biden entered his “lame duck” phase.
Israel’s prime minister seems more immune to external pressure than anyone — especially because he can make the dry calculation based on his experience that Biden’s administration, which always proceeds very deliberately, would hardly dare to completely cut off military support for Israel.
But even if, in the end, maximum pressure only achieves minimal results, that does not mean that the pressure was wrong. Even the smallest improvements for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip are worth fighting for.
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