Shifts in American Perspectives on Gaza: Evolving Attitudes Amidst Unchanged Policies
By: Ghassan Rubeiz / Contributing Writer
Officials in the US Administration are gradually developing courage in confronting Israel about the nature of its War in Gaza. On December 2, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned the Israeli Defense Forces against the continuation of excessive and indiscriminate shelling in Gaza, a strategy assumed to contribute to the alienation and “radicalization” of Palestinians and the wider Arab society. Austin was the first high-level official to raise the risk of strategic failure in Gaza: “And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat. As Israel intensifies airstrikes on Gaza, the U.S. defense secretary warns Israel must protect civilians.
Over the past sixty days, Washington has watched Israel commit war crimes in Gaza and remained passive. Washington conveniently labeled carpet bombing of civilians as a legitimate form of self-defense. With rising international pressure and domestic unease in the US, the tone of the US administration has been changing, somewhat, in the right direction.
The justification of US policy in the Gaza war has evolved through four stages:
- Initially, denying the disproportional and indiscriminate Israeli attacks on civilians by defending it
- Then, privately acknowledging the excessive attacks
- Shifting further to public recognition of such attacks
- And lately, shifting to an expression of warnings in the open
Denial Stage: Right to Self-Defense
President Biden defended Israel’s war with Gaza using a short phrase: “The right to self-defense”, an expression which quickly became the standard slogan in defending Israel from growing criticism throughout the globe. At the start of the war, Biden visited Prime Minister Netanyahu, giving him hugs, turning artificially, from a distance to a close friend.
Confidential Stage: Do Not Embarrass Us with Our Arab Allies
As Palestinian civilian casualties mounted, Arab state officials complained to the US administration, who in turn confidentially complained to Israeli officials. President Biden and Secretary of State Blinkin conveyed to their Israeli counterparts that it is hard to defend Tel- Aviv’s expanding civilian slaughter of the trapped population of Gaza. But things got worse.
Public Recognition: Do Less Harm
The next phase of US discomfort with rising rates of slaughter was public recognition of the “right of Palestinians to protection and humanitarian aid”. After weeks of display of Israeli vengeance, Washington spokespersons developed the courage to ask Israel in the open to be more careful in air bombing, mindful of international laws of war and accountable to standards of humanitarian aid.
Current Stage: Warning in the Open
On the same day when Secretary Austin warned Israel about its excessive shelling in Gaza, Vice President Kamala Harris cautioned Israel that the US shall not allow Gaza to be reoccupied, reduced in size, or subject to ethnic cleansing. In a message aimed at Israel and relayed to Arab officials in Dubai, Harris said “The United States will not permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the besieging of Gaza or the redrawing of Gaza’s borders.” U.S. VP Harris urges Israel to protect Gaza civilians, sketches post-war vision (msn.com)
Despite the shift in attitude and rhetoric, nothing has changed in practice to slow Israel’s pace of civilian killing and destruction. UN reports speak of over 45,000 casualties and hundreds of daily fatalities. In recent days the US sent additional weapons of destruction and intensified efforts to push legislation for approval of a special funding package for Israel: 14 US billion dollars. The World Health Organization has warned that epidemics could soon spread in Gaza.
What Would It Take?
There are no signs of an early exit or a simple solution. Neither side in this conflict is ready for peace or even clear on how to move forward. International intervention will be needed at some point to offer Gaza transitional governance. A new Israeli cabinet is needed to shift the vision from land annexation and ethnic cleansing. The Palestinians urgently need a political and social climate to run a national election. Could the energy that led to the establishment of the Abraham Accords be diverted to establish a new momentum for justice-based peace, in which Palestinian leadership participates actively?
In principle, policy changes in the US administration take place with new presidential elections. The choices are limited for the moment. Neither Biden nor Trump would reduce the tension in the Middle East. This is a subject for a future column.
Ghassan Rubeiz is the former Middle East Secretary of the World Council of Churches. Earlier he taught psychology and social work in his country of birth, Lebanon, and later in the United States, where he currently lives. For the past twenty years, he has contributed to political commentary and delivered occasional public talks on subjects related to peace, justice, and interfaith. You can reach him at rubeizg@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Arab America. The reproduction of this article is permissible with proper credit to Arab America and the author.
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