Biden fails to push Netanyahu's government to adopt US policy: WSJ

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Wall Street Journal
20 Nov 2023 01:29

The Biden administration's policy on the Gaza Strip has come to several stops, as the US faces the consequences of unconditionally allying itself with an extremist Israeli government.

US President Joe Biden responds to members of the media after arriving in Norfolk, United States, on November 19, 2023. (AP)

United States President Joe Biden's attempts to persuade Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take steps that US officials claim would limit the scope of engagement in the region are floundering, the Wall Street Journal reported citing unnamed US and European officials.

America's alleged efforts, aimed at pushing "Israel" to accept a pause allowing for the release of non-military captives held in the Gaza Strip, have gone in vain over the past two weeks, according to WSJ. It is worth noting, that the Palestinian Resistance has expressed its readiness to do so on multiple occasions when the appropriate circumstances are provided. This includes a pause of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the release of Palestinian women and children arbitrarily detained by the Israeli occupation.

Another point of contention is Israeli policy in the occupied West Bank, where WSJ asserts that the Biden administration has been "frustrated by Israeli settler violence targeting Palestinians."

Moreover, the newspaper says that US policy has clashed with "Israel's" "ultimate plans for Gaza". The US has insisted that it wants the Gaza Strip to be ruled by a Palestinian government, however, Israelis seek to create a buffer zone alongside the Strip to secure nearby occupied areas.

Nonetheless, the US has promised "Israel" unwavering military support, which it has delivered on a daily basis, as it has also refused to condemn "Israel's" war crimes in Gaza, claiming that the occupation is acting in "self-defense".

Biden defines US vision for Gaza

Earlier on Saturday, Biden outlined how he views the future governance of the Palestinian territories in the wake of a failing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

In an Op-ed on The Washington Post, Biden expressed his belief that the Palestinian Authority should be the governing body for both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, despite the fact that the last elections were held in 2006, where Hamas won the majority, and since then the occupation entity has prevented any such elections fearing a new win to fore Resistance parties.

He also stated that the US government is prepared to take measures against settler violence targeting Palestinians in the region. His statement comes as the Israeli attacks on the region have been increasing for the past years, and since October 7, over 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces across the occupied area.

The most significant part of his piece was calling for the involvement of the international community after the war, especially with regard to reconstruction.

However, so far, the aggression has no clear end in sight amid the Israeli ongoing massacres and forced displacements of the entire Palestinian population of 2.2 million. In addition, the occupation entity has set near-impossible objectives, most of which are eliminating the Resistance group Hamas and its leaders.