Towards a combined victory on the northern and southern fronts? Biden's people are pressing to end the war operations in the northern Gaza Strip and allow the Palestinians to return to their homes, despite the fact that the operations to destroy the tunnels in the area and the rocket fire into Israel are not over.Biden's envoy to the Middle East, Amos Hochstein, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is expected to land here tonight, are demanding that Israel officially declare the end of the second phase of the fighting, despite the objections of the military echelon.
The pressure continues. Anthony Blinken, Photo: AP
Biden's people want to link the IDF's withdrawal from the northern Gaza Strip to an agreement of understanding that will prevent war with Hezbollah. Hochstein, who took off for Beirut, is supposed to examine Hezbollah's response to this proposal, which will be seen at the end of the second phase in Gaza as a Lebanese achievement, which will hopefully lead to an end to the rocket fire on northern communities.
The blitz of visits that began with Hochstein will culminate in a visit to Blinken today and tomorrow, in which a message will be conveyed about the timeframe of the fighting in Gaza. They will also try to prevent the escalation in the north through "Grapes of Wrath" agreements in the 90s, in which Hezbollah pledged not to fire at Israel and not to harm civilians, population centers and civilian facilities.
Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday rejected reports that Netanyahu was ordering the army to attack Lebanon for political reasons, and also spoke out against pressure exerted by the White House to halt the war. "The war must not be stopped until we have completed all its objectives - the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our abductees and a promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said with more than a hint at it.
Gantz reiterated a similar message: "The situation in which residents of the north cannot return to their homes requires an urgent solution. Israel is interested in a political solution. If this does not happen, the State of Israel and the IDF will remove the threat. This is our duty."
The gap still exists
Hochstein presented the White House plan to the political leadership last week. According to the plan, Israel will officially announce the end of the second phase of the war in Gaza in the coming weeks, and this declaration will be mediated by the Americans to Hezbollah as a kind of pretext to stop the attacks on Israel.
Hochstein was told that Israel demanded that the threat of raiding and shooting at the communities be removed not only as a reality that would emerge on the ground, but as a result of a signed memorandum of understanding. This gap still exists between Israel and the United States, and during his visit, Blinken is expected to press again against war in the north and end the campaign in the south.
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