Gaza has become the password for both Washington and Tel-Aviv. US President Joe Biden is betting on a prisoner exchange deal with to extricate himself out of the crisis afflicting the United States and assure himself of another term in the White House. The latter will be no mean feat now that the liberal coalition to which he belongs is collapsing as opposition to his support for Israel is increasing.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trying to save his political reputation and achieve any victory in Gaza after his attempts to force Hamas leaders to agree to his demands or free Israeli hostages have failed. Besides, the Israeli Defence Force, said to be the most modern and best equipped in the world, has far from consolidated the occupation of any of the areas invaded in Gaza. So, he has no choice but to invade Rafah to attain this goal.
Devastated Gaza has become the password for Biden to win a second term, which is revealed by American insistence on concluding a prisoner exchange deal more than the Israelis themselves.
Although Washington failed to deal with many global issues and explosive hotspots in the world, Gaza has borne the brunt of negative repercussions on America’s internal affairs, disgracing the entire Biden regime and sparking anger against his pro-Israel policies. We all saw the uprising of students in US universities demanding an end to the Israeli war on Gaza.
What we saw of the suppression and arrest of hundreds of demonstrators at American universities revealed to the world the truth about this regime that was proclaiming itself to be a champion of democracy, freedom of expression and human rights.
It also exposed the double standards followed by Washington in dealing with peoples’ issues. It is clear that this duality and Biden’s support for Israel will make it difficult for him to gain support for US policies to confront Russia and China, especially in the countries of the Global South.
In light of this, White House decision makers realise the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and an exchange of prisoners and hostages, including Americans, thus strengthening Biden’s fortunes and assuaging popular anger against his policies. This comes as part of a series of measures to help Biden win a new term and improve the image of his policies to garner international support to counter increasing Russian and Chinese influence.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu believes that prolonging the military operation, invading Rafah, reaching Hamas leaders and liberating the hostages will bring him overwhelming victory.
But if the operation stops without entering Rafah, it will be impossible to talk about any victory for Israel, either military or political, and Hamas will be the winner.
Gaza is the password for Biden to remain in power, and it will also determine Netanyahu’s political future, which has become closely linked to the duration of the military operation.
The longer the operation continues, the greater the gains will for Netanyahu and the far right, who know very well that if the military operation ends without achieving complete victory, they will be put on trial for major errors that have yet to be revealed.
Mohamed Fahmy is the editor-in-chief of The Egyptian Gazette and Egyptian Mail newspapers
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