Washington's criticism of Ben Gvir's provocations. Is American Impatience Fed Up with Netanyahu's Government Abrogates?

Dr. Ali al-Jarbawi, a professor of political science at Birzeit University, said that Washington's dissatisfaction with the recent Israeli provocations is not new, and will not benefit the Palestinians in anything, as what is required is to take actual positions and not be satisfied with statements.

He noted that over the past year, the U.S. government has consistently expressed its displeasure with Israel's escalatory policies against Palestinians, asking, "But where does this resentment distract?" He stressed that there is no impact of this discontent in the face of the sharp attack faced by the extremist government of Benjamin Netanyahu, and its quest to resolve the conflict by accelerating the process of annexing settlements.

Al-Jarbawi's statements came in the episode devoted by the program "Beyond the News" on (2023/5/22) to the statements in which Washington expressed its concern about the storming of the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, and the accompanying speech that she described as inflammatory and provocative, and expressed its deep annoyance at the Netanyahu government's allowing Israelis to permanently reside in the illegal settlement of "Homesh", considering that such actions hinder the two-state solution.

The program wondered whether these statements issued by the administration of US President Joe Biden are considered evidence of some change in US policy towards Israeli policy, or if they are nothing more than statements launched into space and have no impact on the ground.

Ben Gvir's storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque is the second since the formation of the current Israeli government, and has angered almost everyone, including the Israeli opposition, whose leader Yair Lapid said that the Israeli Minister of National Security is taking provocative steps instead of working to calm the situation.

Provocations will continue

Jarbawi expresses – in his speech beyond the news – his conviction that Ben Gvir will continue his provocations, "because he knows that if he gets angry and leaves the coalition, the government will fall," so he seeks to reach the maximum extent he can to aggravate the situation with the Palestinian side, through incursions and intensification of settlements.

The Palestinian expert stresses that the US administration will not do more than express dissatisfaction, and that it does not want to overcome that, as it is working to manage the conflict and not solve it, and therefore the situation will remain as it is, and there is no room for relying on a qualitative fundamental change in Washington's position, according to Jarbawi.

However, former US State Department spokesman Ambassador P.J. Crowley said that there is a change in the US administration's position towards Israel's policy in Jerusalem, considering that the diplomatic terminology used in the US position towards the developments in Jerusalem was expressed in a sharp and harsh tone, and carries with it harsh criticism of the Israeli government in general and Ben Gvir in particular.

He pointed out – in his speech behind the news – that these terms are not usually used, and clearly reflect the growing dissatisfaction of the US administration with Netanyahu and his government's policy, likely that there will be close follow-ups behind the scenes to see if Ben Gvir acts alone or expresses government policy.

But the American diplomat called for not being overly optimistic, and predicted an influential stance by the United States towards Israel, stressing that those who wait for this will be disappointed.

In turn, the former adviser for Arab affairs in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Alon Avitar, acknowledged that the storming of the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Ben Gvir was unnecessary, and that the storming came at an inopportune time, considering that Ben Gvir seeks through it for personal propaganda and political benefit from it.

But he stressed – during his interview with the program Beyond the News – that the principle of religious freedom allows anyone to go to the holy places, and that the Haram al-Sharif is a holy area for Muslims and Jews.

He believed that the US position is not a political escalation by Washington towards Israel, downplaying the impact of US statements issued in this context, and stressing the strength of US-Israeli relations, although the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu is not good.