In the early days of the war, an opening shot was fired by the international community: The historic speech by President Joe Biden. The powerful speech expressed unconditional support for Israel but also included a sentence that has been somewhat forgotten and is now making a comeback in our lives. That sentence referred to the American expectation that Israel should uphold humanitarian principles consistent with international law in its fight against Hamas.
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Days after the speech Secretary of State Antony Blinken came to Israel and elaborated the half-sentence into a broad statement, stating that Israel must act according to international law. Since then, the administration repeatedly emphasized this expectation. In the latest speech by Vice President Kamala Harris, a shift in tone was noticeable – support for Israel was replaced by concern for the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and a fear of widespread collateral damage.
The US position reflects Biden's domestic predicament, with declining popularity, especially in key states where progressive voters are angry about his support for Israel. A senior American journalist put it well: "It's no longer just about Gaza; it's Michigan, it's Wisconsin." When I met Joe Biden as vice president, he used to tell me: "As my dad told me – Never crucify yourself on a small cross." Today, Biden is crucifying himself on a very big cross – the State of Israel.
Thousands of people may lose their positions if the Democrats lose the 2024 elections. This political game creates increasing pressure on Israel – to provide a date for the cessation of the fighting against Hamas in Gaza and to find a solution to the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. It's no coincidence that in his most recent visit to Israel, Blinken said that the time for the current operation was limited.
Israel has a strategic interest, first and foremost, to assist Biden – to continue helping us. We did the right thing when we agreed in the past to the opening of a humanitarian corridor in the Strip and the provision of essential aid to the Palestinian population there. Now we need to invest efforts in public diplomacy in the US and dispel the growing claim there that Israel intentionally and maliciously kills Palestinian civilians. Now that I returned from a visit to the US, I realize that while we are winning on the battlefield and in the tunnels, we are losing on TV screens and smartphones, where almost all the emphasis is on the suffering of the Palestinian people.
The IDF spokesperson must do his utmost to highlight the extraordinary effort we take to minimize collateral damage, as well as Hamas' inherent use of civilians. I suggest we allow American journalists to sit and observe at the Israeli Air Force command and control center, where each strike must be vetted so that it meets legal and proportional thresholds on collateral damage. The world needs to see and know that our main goal is, first and foremost, to target terrorists, and there is not a single airstrike placed on the ground without a clear purpose underneath. We must expose to the world the spread of the tunnels along the length and width of the Strip so that everyone realizes that there is no such thing as warfare where no civilians are hurt.
The current over-arching goal is to gain time and maneuvering room that will allow the IDF to continue and complete its mission. The American clock is ticking, and we must slow it down as much as possible through diplomatic means. A nice hour, just an hour before.
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