US rushes post-war plans without Netanyahu, pushes for normalization

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: NBC News
18 Jan 2024 12:17

An NBC News report quotes US officials as saying that Blinken presented Netanyahu with a Saudi-backed normalization proposal, including the "next day" after the war on Gaza, but the Prime Minister rejected it.

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in "Tel Aviv" on October 18, 2023 (AFP)

The United States has unilaterally initiated envisioned plans with Arab governments for the "next day" after the war on Gaza, as Washington concluded that the Israeli war objectives regarding "eliminating" the Palestinian Resistance faction Hamas through military means are unattainable, NBC News reported on Wednesday citing US officials.

This conclusion comes after the aggression on the Strip crossed its 100th mark this week, with the occupation entity still far from reaching its announced military goals, prompting senior Israeli political and military figures to express concern over the "fate of Israel" when things go downhill.

Additionally, global public and political pressure has been heavily mounting on the United States for supporting and aiding the Israeli ongoing genocide in Gaza.

"The officials said the Biden administration is trying to lay the groundwork with other Israeli and civil society leaders in anticipation of an eventual post-Netanyahu government. In an attempt to work around Netanyahu," NBC said in the report.

White House officials told the network that Washington today is looking past Netanyahu to try and achieve its regional interests, with one of them telling the outlet that the Prime Minister “will not be there forever.”

During his last visit to the occupation entity, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with Netanyahu a proposal being formulated by Washington, which sees some Arab countries reconstructing Gaza and normalizing ties with "Israel" in return for strengthening the Palestinian Authority to govern the Strip and initiating plans for a Palestinian State.

But US officials told the news outlet that the Prime Minister refused the proposal.

No military solution to Hamas

In an op-ed published on Haaretz on Tuesday, former Israeli Reserve General Itzhak Brik said that "Israel" will not be able to achieve its main war objectives of ending Hamas and its political and military capabilities or retrieving the captives, and this failure would impose on the occupation entity paying a very heavy price.

He stressed that the ultimate goal of bringing back the captives is still achievable, but it will have to be through an agreement with Hamas, even if it comes at the expense of a ceasefire in Gaza so that "Israel" does not leave empty-handed, having failed to achieve all the objectives it set.

According to the US officials cited by NBC News, Blinked told Netanyahu that "ultimately there is no military solution to Hamas, according to the officials, and the Israeli leader needs to recognize that or history will repeat itself and violence will continue."

Don't go to war with Hezbollah

The proposal reportedly was presented to the Israeli premier by the top US diplomat after the latter secured commitments from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and four additional Arab leaders to provide funds for the Gaza reconstruction effort.

However, Netanyahu only agreed to two requests, the outlet stated.

Firstly, the occupation entity would allow a team of UN officials to enter the Strip to assess the conditions required for Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

Secondly and more importantly, "Israel" would not launch a major attack on Lebanon's Hezbollah, the report claimed.

But approving the second request came as no surprise as the Prime Minister had previously feared away from suggestions to start a war on Hezbollah proposed by the Israeli Security Minister and Chief of Staff shortly after October 7.

US President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directly intervened then to shut down those plans, conveying to "Israel" that it would most likely not be able to fight on both fronts, The Wall Street Journal revealed earlier.

Biden has not spoken to Netanyahu by phone for over three weeks, a steep decline in the amount of contact compared to the early days of the war on Gaza.

'Possible normalization agreements near'

During his visit, Blinken held private meetings with war cabinet members, including Benny Gantz, who is being considered to potentially become prime minister after Netanyahu. Blinken also met with opposition leader and former PM Yair Lapid.

Speaking to CNBC at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum held in Davos, the US State Secretary said there is a shift being witnessed in the Middle East regarding relations between the occupation entity and Arab governments.

“You’re in a place right now, where, again, Arab countries, including countries like Saudi Arabia, are prepared to do things in their relationship with Israel they were never prepared to do before. That opens up an entirely different future, a much more secure future,” Blinken said.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also echoed a similar sentiment, stating that normalization treaties are possible in the "near term".

“We determined that the best approach was to work toward a package deal that involved normalization between Israel and key Arab states together with meaningful progress and a political horizon for the Palestinian people,” Sullivan said Tuesday.