Netanyahu in Washington during tense period:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday with much less excitement than he anticipated just a day before.
His much-awaited trip filled with discussions with high-ranking US officials and a valuable speech to Congress will now definitely be outshined by the surprising choice of US President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential election. However despite the prolonged ceasefire discussions in order to solidify a framework agreement into a final arrangement Netanyahu’s visit remains crucial for the potential success of a ceasefire in Gaza.
Top US officials believe that a deal is close but whether it will happen depends on whether Netanyahu truly desires a deal.
According to the prevalent belief in Israeli media, politics and Tel Aviv the response to the question is negative Netanyahu stands to benefit more from prolonging the war and suffers more from ending it.
The war has enabled Netanyahu to postpone his responsibility for the mistakes that led to the October 7 attacks rejecting demands for fresh elections with strong wartime determination. The chances of his party in the upcoming election have actually gotten better in recent months. And the right-wing coalition partners who are supporting him in office have warned that they will leave if Netanyahu makes an agreement that brings the war to an end.
Biden also stated that there is ample justification for the public to think that Netanyahu is extending the conflict in Gaza to maintain his position of authority.
There are signs suggesting that Netanyahu is creating last-minute hurdles to finalizing an agreement. He went back on an important Israeli decision to grant Palestinians unfettered entry to northern Gaza in the recent ceasefire offer. He now seems to be pushing for Israel to retain authority over the Philadelphi Corridor a 14km strip of land acting as a buffer between Egypt and Gaza. In the public eye, his speeches have eroded trust in Israel’s dedication to achieving a peace agreement to bring an end to the conflict.
Nonetheless Netanyahu and his negotiation team have consistently been involved in discussions, sharing ideas with Hamas and moving closer than ever to a possible agreement. An increasing number of Israeli citizens, especially hostage families, are calling on the government to negotiate a deal.
Not long after reaching Washington, Netanyahu met with relatives of the captives in Gaza and mentioned that a potential agreement for their freedom might be close.
“The circumstances are favorable for their return because we are exerting significant pressure on Hamas” Netanyahu stated on Monday, as per his office’s announcement.
Netanyahu’s supporters maintain that he is sincere in his aim to reach an agreement for releasing hostages specifically the agreement that would enable Israel to continue combat in Gaza.
The tension will be inevitable now that Netanyahu is in Washington, where he has frequently tried to strengthen Israel’s position in the US and his own political status at home.
Although Netanyahu will aim to display the backing he retains in Washington (with most legislators in Congress giving him a standing ovation), his trip also serves as a chance for American leaders and lawmakers to encourage him towards a deal, both publicly and privately.
The main ones keen to argue that point will include the US president who is set to have a direct meeting with Netanyahu this week their first since Biden visited Israel in October to show wartime support.
The kindness and compassion that was present in the atmosphere during that October trip is expected to be substituted with a colder atmosphere.
Biden has increasingly criticized Israel actions in Gaza where over 39,000 Palestinians have died as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Netanyahu has defied American pressure and openly defied the White House.
While he continues to show strong backing for Israel, Biden broke a precedent by being the first president after Ronald Reagan to stop some US arms supplies to Israel, pausing deliveries of 2000 pound bombs in May due to worries about civilian deaths in Gaza.
Meanwhile Netanyahu has not only refused to follow US requests to control Israeli military actions in Gaza, but has also utilized his defiance of the White House’s appeals for moderation to strengthen his political position in Israel as seen in a speech shortly before his visit to the US where he highlighted his decision not to yield to Biden’s demands to reduce the conflict and cancel a scheduled attack in Rafah.
Biden’s choice to withdraw from the presidential race right before meeting with Netanyahu will definitely change the relationship between the two men even more the exact outcome is still unknown.
Netanyahu will be the initial international leader to meet with the current president who is essentially a lame duck despite still having six months left in office to guide US foreign policy.
