“The 100-day anniversary of this battle is quick approaching, and Hamas remains to be firing rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Israel has been unable to seize any of the senior leaders (in Gaza) or kill them. Hamas appears to be very a lot intact,” famous Prof Hashemi, including that this can be a “main army defeat for Israel”.
“A method of attempting to shift consideration from Israel’s army failure in Gaza, and likewise the humanitarian disaster which some individuals are saying is a genocide, is to try to broaden the battle, try to maybe get Iran to answer a few of these Israeli provocations, hoping that the US will then enter the battle, and it’ll shift into a really completely different dimension,” he stated.
“That is a part of the technique right here, whether or not it’s going to play itself out stays to be seen.”
Israel’s response to the Oct 7 assaults – relentless bombardment and ground invasion supported by help from the US – has lowered swathes of Gaza to rubble and claimed about 23,000 lives, in keeping with the enclave’s well being ministry.
US’ INTERNATIONAL STANDING
Prof Zunes stated that whereas the US is supporting Israel’s proper to self-defence over the Oct 7 assault, “vetoing UN Security Council resolution merely calling for a ceasefire and even humanitarian pause, and the insistence that US army help be unconditional regardless of it being utilized in battle crimes, has actually harm America’s standing on the planet”.
“How can we (the US) in good conscience say that Russia has no proper to bomb these condo blocks and interact in terror bombing of Ukrainian cities? We’re defending an ally doing the identical kind of issues. So I actually assume it is harm our ethical standing and in doing so, I feel has harm our standing diplomatically as properly,” he stated.
The US has been stalwart in its support of Ukraine since Russia invaded the nation in February 2022.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a visit to Israel and the West Financial institution, in addition to close by international locations like Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as Washington continues diplomatic consultations on the battle.
Whereas the US has continued to again Israel diplomatically and militarily, there may be concern concerning the “enormously excessive civilian loss of life toll” from the Israel-Hamas battle and the shock and horror that has resounded all over the world and the way it’s damaging America’s status, Prof Zunes stated.
Aside from reiterating help for Israel and cautioning Israel to not go too far, Mr Blinken’s agenda additionally entails harm management “to guarantee that the status of the US and its management in worldwide affairs (aren’t) broken additional”, he stated.
