US has a problem now Netanyahu has been unmasked

The streets of Tel Aviv are flooded with protesters. The head of Israel’s largest labor union called for a general strike to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into closing a deal that will bring the remaining hostages home and end the war. Netanyahu does not seem to have budged. However, this proves one thing for sure: Netanyahu is a liar. The hostages were never his priority. His interest is to remain in power — and only the prolongation of the war can delay his ouster.

The bodies of six hostages were recovered by the Israeli military at the weekend. Forensic examinations showed that they were killed two to three days before the Israeli military reached them. This incident has demonstrated to Israeli society that hostages cannot be returned by force. A deal needs to be worked out between the two parties. This pushed half a million people to take to the streets on Monday and demand a ceasefire and a deal to bring the hostages back.

Netanyahu puts his own political survival above everything else. He knows he has enough extremists to support him on the street and counter the protesters’ crowd if needed. He knows that he has American support, as the current administration is solely focused on defeating Donald Trump and does not want to rock the boat with important pro-Israel donors. Hence, he has a window of two months before the US presidential election. He needs to use it to the full.

Netanyahu is now refusing to withdraw Israeli forces from the Philadelphi Corridor, the previously demilitarized zone between Egypt and Gaza .“If we withdraw, we won’t (be able to) return there — not for 42 days and not for 42 years,” Netanyahu reportedly said during a Cabinet meeting this week. Basically, Netanyahu is saying that he is committed to occupying Gaza, which means that he is refusing any deal to stop the war and release the hostages.

It is now clear that Netanyahu is more interested in killing Palestinians than in saving his own people

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

It is now clear that Netanyahu is more interested in killing Palestinians than in saving his own people. The US has for months been pinning the blame for the failure of the ceasefire talks on Hamas. During the Joe Biden-Trump debate in June, the president blamed Hamas for the continuation of the war. This claim was repeated several times. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said that Hamas had rejected a ceasefire agreement back in June.

However, on July 2, Hamas accepted the framework presented by the negotiators to end the war. Despite this concession on the Palestinian side, there has been no flexibility from Netanyahu and his government. It is obvious that it is Netanyahu who is rejecting the ceasefire. The fact that the US goes out of its way to cover for Israel is now out in the open. This gravely affects the credibility of the US as an honest broker, and not only regarding the Gaza war. The position that the US has taken will affect its overall credibility over the years to come. How can Washington’s Arab allies trust it anymore?

Even aside from the lies that have now been uncovered, it is easy for any observer to conclude that Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire and that the US is acquiescing to his demands. Anytime there is a glimpse of a deal, Israel commits an atrocity that widens the rift between the two sides. It has never faced any consequences from the US for such behavior. The killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran is a clear example. If you are negotiating with an adversary and go ahead and kill the negotiator, what does that mean?

Despite his lust for Palestinian blood, Netanyahu should use his head. He would not want Hamas to get desperate

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

The US did strike a balance over the last few months. It was publicly saying that it was working on a deal, while in reality giving Netanyahu the green light by exerting no pressure on him to make any compromises. At the same time, it was using its mighty military to prevent Iran and its proxies from thinking of any serious retaliation. This worked well and meant it would not be sucked into a regional war. The Democrats could please their wealthy pro-Israel donors before the election and tell their audience of progressives that they wanted a ceasefire. But not anymore.

Now that Netanyahu has been unmasked and the US and its secretary of state have massively lost credibility, what is the White House going to do? To add to this, there is a massive grassroots movement in Israel demanding a ceasefire. How is the US going to act? Is it time for a change of course?

In a previous article for Arab News, I wrote that the US is expected to continue to pay lip service to the Palestinians, Arab states and the American audience that wants an end to the war. However, in the last few days, the situation has become more dramatic. Netanyahu is assaulting the West Bank, has bluntly refused a ceasefire deal or any agreement with Hamas and has embarrassed his American sponsor, while there are growing domestic calls for a ceasefire.

Of course, Trump is attacking the Biden administration for not doing enough to support Israel. However, the current administration does not want to seem like it is being emasculated by Netanyahu. It is time for the US to present Israel with a take it or leave it deal. The killing of the six hostages is only a prelude to what might happen if there is no deal.

Despite his lust for Palestinian blood, Netanyahu should use his head. He would not want Hamas to get desperate. What if the group killed all the hostages? What would Netanyahu do then? Totally destroy Gaza? Kill another 40,000 Gazans? Ultimately, he would have failed in his initial goal, which was to save the hostages. His people will hold him responsible for that.

Even though Netanyahu does not seem to be in the mood for reason, the US should be. Netanyahu has been unmasked — Washington cannot cover up for him anymore and it needs to push a ceasefire agreement down his throat.

• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.