UNDER REGISTRATION

Updated Saturday, March 30, 2024-00:21

Benjamin Netanyahu has become an obstacle to de-escalation in the Middle East. His management of the war in Gaza is increasingly isolating Israel in an international community that unconditionally closed ranks with his Government after the savage Hamas attack on October 7,

which left 1,200 dead and hundreds of hostages in the hands of the terrorists

. President Joe Biden acknowledges that Netanyahu “is hurting Israel,” while the Senate's top Democrat, Ch

uck Schumer, demands elections to remove him from the Government. He

premiere

Thus, the Israeli squanders enormous diplomatic capital, driven by the calculation of keeping its government coalition in power, where extremist elements are setting the course for an offensive that has already caused a humanitarian catastrophe.

The International Court of Justice yesterday ordered him to take all necessary measures to guarantee the supply of food to the Palestinians.

, over which hangs a threat of famine that has generated enormous concern among Western partners.

The prime minister has decided to ignore requests for containment and has even challenged Biden, with whom he has just had a strong clash. His government responded to Washington's abstention that allowed the first ceasefire resolution for Gaza in the UN Security Council

canceling the visit to the US of two close collaborators.

Netanyahu is leading the Biden Administration into an unsustainable situation in the middle of the election campaign. The American president has unwaveringly supported his offensive - he went so far as to proclaim himself a "Zionist, even though he is not Jewish" - while sending his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to the region as a mediator, up to five times. But the magnitude of the destruction in Gaza

They are taking a political toll on him in the form of a protest vote in the Democratic primaries

, coming mainly from the left wing of the party and from Arab Americans. All of this has forced him to moderate his position, warning Israel of the need to protect civilians and calling the plan to invade Rafah, the last refuge south of Gaza, a mistake.

The head of the Israeli Government has opted for an attack against Washington - on whose military aid he largely depends - which does not seem like the best way to put out the regional fire.

which yesterday rose several degrees with the Israeli attack on Hezbollah positions in Syria

. More concerned about regaining popularity and avoiding early elections, Netanyahu is betting on a scorched earth policy with which he may try to buy time while waiting for Trump, who in 2017 recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, to return to the White House. A political strategy that can have, however, a high cost in violence and global instability.

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