Looking at current events, it is safe to say that the Biden administration is at a crossroads. On the one hand, there is massive military support for Israel; on the other, there are attempts to promote its own interests in the Middle East.

Why do attempts by professional negotiators fail?

Officials in the current US administration promised some time ago to draw up a new version of an agreement to be sent to Israel and Hamas to overcome the obstacles to a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. The long-awaited new proposal would be based on the principle of “agree or disagree”, meaning that if either side, Israel or Hamas, rejects it, the war in Gaza, and by extension other fronts in the Middle East and the Red Sea, would remain trapped in a vicious cycle of violence with the attendant risk of further escalation.

It should be recalled that for the past three months, representatives of the Biden administration have been literally torn between their “interest in de-escalating the situation” in the Middle East through a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the “stubborn” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has no interest in ending this unjust war or the slaughter of Palestinian civilians. Constant war on several fronts suits him because it effectively postpones the death of his political career and the bringing to justice of his many crimes.

The Biden administration’s dilemma is how to reconcile its policy of military support for Israel in the name of false self-defence with its larger interests in the Middle East. His position has been further weakened by the election cycle in the United States, where all eyes are on domestic politics. Foreign policy has never been a priority for American voters unless the country is directly involved in war.

However, the question of how far the........

© New Eastern Outlook