In the aftermath of his controversial speech to the American Congress, Benjamin Netanyahu landed at the White House to see Joe Biden and then, in a separate meeting, the vice president and now Democratic presidential candidate in pectore Kamala Harris. The two leaders also met the families of the American Hamas hostages. “I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel, I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months to come,” Netanyahu began in the face-to-face meeting in the Studio Oval.
The main focus is closing the last gaps on the agreement for the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages. Also in the background is the future of the Strip. An agreement "in the final phase", with obstacles that can be overcome but which will require further meetings next week, explained a senior administration official, even if it is not the first time that an agreement collapses at the last moment.
The commander in chief reiterated that, after withdrawing from the electoral race, one of his priorities in the last six months of his mandate is peace in Gaza and he seems determined to obtain it to crown his presidency. Apart from a temporary suspension of a supply of weapons, Biden has so far always maintained his support for Israel, despite growing frustration with his criticisms and his impotent warnings to Bibi over the heavy toll of civilian victims in the Strip. But now time is running out. Helping him could also be Kamala Harris, the exponent of the administration that is harshest against Netanyahu and who in private, thanks to her new status as a candidate who could win the elections, could raise her tone without deviating from the president's line for now.
On Wednesday she already sent a signal by refusing to preside over the Congress with the chambers assembled for the speech of the Israeli leader, perhaps also in an attempt to recover the fringe of the demo protest (including crucial states such as Minnesota, where various non-committed delegates are asking her for a turning point in change of their support). Until recently, Netanyahu had bet on Trump's re-election, repeatedly humiliating Biden. Now the game has reopened, with Harris as the candidate and a growing number of Dem parliamentarians hostile to him.
The tycoon himself sent him a message on the eve of his visit to Mar-a-Lago, urging him to "conclude" the war in Gaza because Israel's image in the world is being tarnished . «We need to end this quickly. It must not last any longer, it is too long,” he warned. A ceasefire agreement, whether short-term or permanent, seems to conflict with the tone of Bibi's speech to Congress, which promised a "total victory" until the definitive annihilation of Hamas. But Israel appears increasingly isolated and also vulnerable to attacks by pro-Iranian militias, from Hezbollah to the Houthis.
Meanwhile, Washington is dealing with the violence and vandalism into which the anti-Netanyahu protest near Union Station has degenerated, with American flags burned or replaced by Palestinian ones, as well as monuments defaced with slogans such as "Hamas is coming". «Identify with organizations evil terrorists like Hamas, burning the American flag or forcibly removing the American flag and replacing it with another is shameful", condemned the White House. Harris also wanted to have her say, recognizing the right to demonstrate peacefully but defining " abominable" the "graffiti and pro-Hamas rhetoric" and condemning the burning of the American flag, "a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and which represents the promise of America."
(Unioneonline/D)