Gaza Strip: US presents peace plan
US President Joe Biden has presented a new plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip involving the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied areas in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, is insisting on the goal of destroying Hamas's military capabilities. Tens of thousands of people in Israel have demonstrated in favour of the plan being accepted.
Pressure on Netanyahu mounting
Mediapart sees the Israeli prime minister in a bind:
“The US plan ups both external and internal pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu, and puts him in an intolerable situation: he can't reject the initiative, as he has authorised the American negotiating team to present a plan. But he can't applaud it either, at the risk of bringing down the very thing that keeps him in power and saves his skin in the first place, namely his government - the most extremist in Israel's history.”
Current situation damaging to Biden and the Democrats
President Biden has many good reasons to seek an end to the war, analyses Jutarnji list:
“Ending this war will allow him to focus on the Indo-Pacific and limiting the destructive influence of Russia and China in the Middle East and Africa, especially in the Sahel. Biden is not just an altruist, he wants to end the war as soon as possible because putting an end to the Palestinian civilian deaths, together with Donald Trump's conviction, could help to push a portion of voters towards the Democrats. ... The current US administration is also concerned because the Israeli army's use of US weapons makes it an accomplice. ... This is too much, even if Israel is a strategic ally.”
The nerve endings of the Middle East
In their constant interplay, the Palestinian territories and the entire Middle East function much like a single body, Habertürk comments:
“For the past ten years, the slightest movement in either of the two territories has an impact on the entire region. They're like a nerve ending; the slightest touch or pressure causes the whole body to react. ... Every movement in Palestine has led to serious mobilisation throughout the region, especially in Jordan and Egypt. ... Palestine has taken another step towards statehood during the deadly Israeli attacks. ... However, [the recent recognitions] won't be enough to end the tensions and inhumane attacks.”