US global image at risk amidst ongoing Gaza suffering
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Arab leaders have criticized Secretary of State Antony Blinken, warning that Washington may be considered complicit in the civilian massacres caused by the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
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Anti-war activists protest outside of The White House during a pro-Palestinian demonstration asking for a cease-fire in Gaza in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP)
According to The Washington Post, the repercussions of the aggression on Gaza have left American officials in a difficult position. The newspaper highlights that numerous officials secretly acknowledge their unease with "Israel's" deliberate targeting of civilians.
The newspaper cited US officials who expressed concern that prolonging the suffering of civilians could intensify Palestinian resentment towards US policies. They noted that this situation "risks radicalizing young Palestinians and heightening the chances of a regional war if Iran and its proxy forces feel a need to respond."
It explained that the " administration faces a complicated task in how it frames its message to the Israelis publicly, in part because it doesn’t want to be seen as denying support to an ally in its moment of need."
Officials familiar with the situation say that even if "Biden’s Democratic coalition is increasingly uncomfortable with the scale of Palestinian losses, he faces little pressure from Congress to shift course, officials familiar with the situation say."
The newspaper revealed that "during Blinken’s (US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken) trip — his second visit to the region since the crisis began — Israeli officials asked US diplomats to push Arab leaders to give them space."
Addressing a gathering in New Delhi, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US acknowledges Israeli efforts to reduce civilian casualties but deems them insufficient, according to the Associated Press.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 11, 2023
He mentioned that the US has put forward additional suggestions… pic.twitter.com/UzwE9AmGaF
According to the Washington Post, Arab leaders told the Americans that “if they did not get the Israelis to pay more attention to humanitarian concerns, the outrage among their own populations would proliferate."
Furthermore, an article in the Global Times addressed the hypocrisy and double standards of the United States, criticizing its negative role in the ongoing aggression against Gaza. The article suggested that this situation signals implicit approval from the G7 countries, particularly highlighting their meeting on November 8 in Tokyo, Japan, and their complicity with Israeli military operations in Gaza. It emphasized that the so-called "humanitarian truce" appears to be a routine response by the United States and the G7.
Earlier on Friday, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said that Russia views the Israeli strikes on civilian targets in the Gaza Strip as shocking violations of international law.
Blaming the US policy on Gaza for the ongoing escalation and its blocking of peace initiatives, Nebenzia said, "Washington’s blocking of peace initiatives for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at this point and its one-sided policy of the past few years, aimed at preserving the status quo (which is what they [the Americans] said), as well as it’s so-called quiet diplomacy, in fact were nothing but an unwillingness to implement what countries and nations had agreed on."
