The past several weeks have been characterized by extraordinarily high tensions and deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians, even when compared to the tumultuous nature of Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories.
However, upon his arrival in Israel this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken just reaffirmed Washington’s long-standing stances on the conflict, including a “ironclad” commitment to Israel, a plea for peace, and a rhetorical support for the two-state solution.
Blinken quoted prior State Department statements almost identically on Monday during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
The US administration regards sporadic outbreaks of violence in Israel-Palestine as “inconveniences to be controlled,” according to George Bisharat, a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, while retaining unwavering support for the Israeli government.
Let’s face it: The United States doesn’t care about the lives of Palestinians, Bisharat told the reporters.
They only worry if these flare-ups conflict with what the US deems to be its strategic interests in the region, which have nothing to do with anyone’s human rights, not just those of the Palestinians.
Blinken’s visit follows one of the worst days in recent memory, when Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and a Palestinian gunman shot and killed seven Israelis in occupied East Jerusalem.
The US government is unlikely to alter its course very soon, according to Annelle Sheline, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think tank with US roots.
The Biden administration’s approach to the Middle East in general and Israel in particular is predicated on upholding the status quo and denying the manner in which the existing quo is changing beneath their feet, Sheline claimed.
It’s time for a new strategy, but I don’t believe we’ll see one very soon, she continued.
“I haven’t noticed anyone in the administration expressing any interest in attempting to put pressure on Israel. They are probably concerned about the appearance of that.
Although Biden pledged to prioritize human rights when he assumed office, his administration has worked to increase US backing for Israel, which major rights organizations have charged with enforcing an apartheid regime on Palestinians.
US military aid to Israel totals $3.8 billion annually, and Biden upped it by $1 billion the previous year.
According to analysts, there is still a significant political cost associated with criticizing Israel in the US, notwithstanding President Joe Biden’s self-described Zionist position.
Israel-Palestine is far from Biden’s top objectives in the midst of the Ukraine war, escalating US competition with China, and a busy domestic agenda, which Bisharat claimed solidifies Washington’s perception of the current crisis as a minor, manageable issue.
Sheline and Bisharat agreed that US officials’ hints at a two-state solution simply serve to keep the situation of perpetual Israeli occupation by portraying it as transient.
It’s a diversion from people understanding that we have been trapped in the West Bank’s continued settler colonialism and all of the apartheid policies that are required by it, he said.
Blinken has been reticent to publicly criticize Israel, like other members of the Biden administration.
On Monday, the top US diplomat remained steadfast in his stance as he praised the US-Israel relationship, emphasized Washington’s attempts to better “integrate” Israel into the Middle East, and emphasized the importance of its normalization agreements with Arab countries.
A move against the “vision” of the two-state solution, according to Blinken, would be “detrimental to Israel’s long-term security and its long-term character as a Jewish and democratic state,” and he issued a warning against it.
When questioned about the punitive measures, such as deportations and home demolitions, that Netanyahu’s administration is considering enacting against the families of Palestinians who assault Israelis, he similarly failed to give a clear response.
“There is no denying that this is an extremely challenging time. The recent awful terrorist atrocities were witnessed. Before departing for Jerusalem earlier on Monday, Blinken spoke in Cairo about the escalating violence that has been plaguing so many people in recent months.
He paid tribute to the seven Israelis killed by the Palestinian shooter last week during the news conference with Netanyahu.
Blinken, however, made no mention of the at least 35 Palestinians slain by Israel this month, including eight children, nor did he condemn Israeli settlements.
Many Palestinian observers claim they do not anticipate Blinken’s current visit to result in any change given the US’s continued unwavering support for Israel over the years. Tuesday in Ramallah, the top US diplomat will meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestine.
Blinken’s visit to the area was downplayed by Yara Hawari, senior analyst at the Al-Shabaka policy network, a Palestinian think organization.
And let’s be clear, this is a commitment that includes billions of dollars in annual bilateral aid and military support in addition to diplomatic help.
