The diplomatic talks led by the United States for a ceasefire in Gaza are but a spectacle doomed for failure, an op-ed published by Foreign Policy considered.

According to the report, US President Joe Biden had vowed to end the war on Gaza and broker an agreement between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance that would guarantee a prisoner-exchange and a permanent ceasefire in the enclave, claiming it was nearer and nearer at every chance. 

However, it soon became evident that Biden and his administration were not interested in securing a deal in Gaza, proven by not only the persistence of the aggression but also its expansion to Lebanon. 

The script 

According to FP, the Biden administration claims that mediated peace efforts between "Israel" and Hamas failed due to the irreconcilable positions of both parties, alleging that neither side genuinely sought an end to the war. Officials reportedly dismissed responsibility, suggesting that US efforts could not succeed if the involved parties were unwilling to compromise. 

However, critics argue that the narrative is inaccurate, highlighting that the administration did not make a serious attempt to secure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, pointing to a lack of sustained diplomatic engagement or initiatives to address the root causes of the war.

Since October 7, the US consistently failed to apply significant pressure on "Israel", but rather supported "Israel" and its failed goal to "eradicate Hamas". A year into the battle, Hamas is still fighting and countering the aggression, with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy predicting its livelihood even as the "prolonged guerrilla conflict" manifests. 

Foreign Policy then deduces that the endless war becomes obsolete of any achievable goals for "Israel", meaning diplomatic talks led by the United States, in the absence of any meaningful pressure that enforces the halt of the aggression, are a show the Biden administration put on and had been doomed to fail since the start. 

The strategy the US employed, from claiming it was tirelessly working to achieve a ceasefire but failing to condition or stop arms supplies to "Israel", showed that it never actually tried to end the fighting. Instead, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller admitted in September that the goal has always been the eradication of Hamas, which renders all diplomatic efforts pointless. 

"We’ve never wanted to see a diplomatic resolution with Hamas … We have always been committed to the destruction of Hamas," he said. 

What Joe Biden aimed for was a public show to gain the favor of the public, by portraying himself, the leader of what is considered the most powerful country in the world, as powerless and unable to put an end to the war, despite not truly trying to, according to the Foreign Policy article. 

US vetoes ceasefire resolution in Gaza four times

It is worth noting that on November 20, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli war on the Strip, accusing other council members of cynically dismissing efforts to find a compromise.

The 15-member council voted on a resolution proposed by the ten non-permanent members, which called for an "immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire" and demanded the release of captives. The US was the sole member to oppose the resolution, using its veto power as a permanent council member to block it.

A senior US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity before the vote, stated that the US would only support a resolution that specifically demands the immediate release of captives as part of any ceasefire agreement.

"As we stated many times before, we just can't support an unconditional ceasefire that does not call for the immediate release of hostages," the official said.

This is the fourth time that the United States has vetoed UNSC resolutions on issues relating to Palestine, during the period of the war on Gaza. The US vetoed four resolutions on a ceasefire in Gaza and a resolution on the international recognition of the State of Palestine as a member of the United Nations.