The relationship between the belligerent Israeli government and its US backers has just got a lot worse. Sadly, the pusillanimous Americans have decided to put up with a stream of insults from the Israelis rather than calling their small ally’s bluff and forcing Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to seek terms for a ceasefire with Hamas so that the civilians in Gaza can try to rebuild their shattered lives.
Last Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry came up with draft terms of a ceasefire after a week of shuttling between Cairo, Tel Aviv and Ramallah. His proposal was not very different from the previous Egyptian initiative, which the Israeli government had accepted, but this time, the Israelis rejected the American proposal before it was properly announced in Cairo, insulting its author Kerry.
The reason for the shift seems to be that Kerry brought Qatar and Turkey (who have been deeply critical of Israel) into the ceasefire negotiations rather than continuing to work solely with the Egyptians (who have a working alliance with Israel). As the three-week assault continues, public opinion in Israel is hardening and Netanyahu now wants to stop all the tunnels and to demilitarise Gaza, whereas Hamas wants an end to the blockade and access to sea and airports. The stream of personally abusive briefings by Israeli officials against Kerry has thoroughly irritated Washington, offering a classic Netanyahu distraction from the main issues. But even if the Obama administration has a very poor relationship with Netanyahu and his officials, it still refuses to make a valid distinction between America’s long-standing convention of unshakeable US-Israeli ties and obeying every whim of the wayward and murderous gang in charge of Israel at present.
