The US is between a chair and a couch in the Middle East, the Gaza Strip is divided into two halves – the night at a glance

Antony Blinken tried to cover up the failure of his recent trip to the Middle East. The US Secretary of State said in Ankara on Monday, before flying to the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo, that they were working “with great determination” to bring more humanitarian aid to Gaza. There will be a significant increase “in the coming days.”

At the same time, Blinken had to admit that he accomplished little to nothing during his four-day trip. The absence of negative events is “not necessarily the best evidence of progress,” he explained in a twisted formulation. But now this is the case, said the chief diplomat of the so-called world power USA.

In other words, Blinken was extremely happy that there had been no major escalation during his trip. It’s easy to interpret this as a reference to President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel, which was overshadowed by the mysterious explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip that sparked violent protests in Muslim countries.

Offer inadequate

A planned meeting between Biden and three Arab rulers was canceled at short notice. The president actually wanted to show that he is not unilaterally siding with Israel. But now, exactly one month after Hamas’s horrific terrorist attack on Israel, Americans in the Middle East are effectively caught between a chair and a couch.

They are trying to exert a moderating influence on Israel – with little success. The offer of aid to the civilian population in Gaza, caught between the fronts, is still insufficient. The US rejects a de facto ceasefire because it would only benefit Hamas. But at the very least they demand a “humanitarian ceasefire” from Israel.

Ceasefire only against hostages

On this point, however, Antony Blinken received a brusque rebuff early in the trip last Friday when he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu said they reject any temporary ceasefire as long as Hamas does not release any of the more than 200 Israeli hostages it is holding.

Once again, Blinken had to acknowledge how little influence the US has over Israel. They finance a large part of the Israeli security apparatus. Several American presidents in recent history have failed in their attempts to advance the peace process with the Palestinians. It wasn’t just the latter.

Responsibility only against package

Blinken was reminded of this on Sunday during his surprise meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. Abbas expressed his willingness to take “full responsibility” for the Gaza Strip, but only as part of a “package” that includes a comprehensive political solution for the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

But this has become increasingly impossible. Benjamin Netanyahu is not wrongly accused of tolerating Hamas specifically to weaken the autonomous authority and prevent a Palestinian state. At the same time, brutal attacks by right-wing radical settlers are becoming increasingly common in the West Bank.

Warning of a ‘sea of ​​hate’

The Israeli army often just watches. Antony Blinken has strongly condemned these acts of violence, but Arabs no longer view the United States as an honest broker. This became apparent on Saturday during the meeting with the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers in Amman. At a media conference, Blinken was confronted with bitter accusations.

Israel should no longer enjoy “immunity” if it commits war crimes, his Jordanian counterpart Aiman ​​Safadi said: The war threatens to undermine everything “that has been done for a just peace in the region.” With every child killed in Gaza, the region sinks deeper into a “sea of ​​hatred” that will shape generations.

Iraq as a memorial to the US

Blinken admitted they had “different views” on the path to lasting peace. At best, there is a degree of agreement about efforts to reduce the influence of Shiite Iran. He is considered the main ‘sponsor’ of Hamas. Some consider Tehran the real mastermind behind the October 7 terrorist attack.

Iran was also at the center of Antony Blinken’s surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday. More than any other country, it represents the US’s tendency to overestimate itself. After the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the ‘neocons’ believed they could establish a pro-Western and pro-Israel model democracy in Iraq.

Not the same mistakes as after 9/11

As we all know, things turned out very differently. Since the war in Iraq, the notoriously unstable Mesopotamian country has increasingly come under Iranian influence. Significantly, when the US Secretary of State landed in Baghdad, he was wearing a protective vest. He warned pro-Iranian militias in Iraq against attacks on the approximately 2,500 remaining American soldiers.

To deter Iran, the US sent a nuclear-powered submarine to the region in addition to the two aircraft carriers. The US’s sobering and even traumatic experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq were why Joe Biden warned Israelis not to make “the same mistakes” as America after the terror of September 11, 2001.

Israel wants to take control of Gaza

What Biden actually meant was that Israel needed an “exit strategy” for its war in Gaza, a plan for what would happen next. Benjamin Netanyahu told US broadcaster ABC on Monday in response to a question that Israel would retain responsibility for security in the Gaza Strip “indefinitely”. We experienced what could happen differently.

But opinions on this also differ in Israel. You could also see Netanyahu’s statement as an attempt to torpedo a peace plan drawn up by the US, the Arabs and possibly the Europeans, which could be forced on Israel and ultimately lead to the creation of a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu does not want.

A peace plan would be a way for the US to influence events in the region. However, so far only the powerlessness of the supposed superpower has been demonstrated. This was also the case in Turkey, Blinken’s last stop. She is a member of NATO, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave the US Secretary of State a cold shoulder.