US Mediates Amid Fears of Full-Scale Israel-Hamas War... "Talked with Netanyahu" (Summary)

Biden "Expecting Calm Soon" Suggests Intervention
Blinken "Will Send Envoy to Meet Leaders of Both Sides"
Skepticism in US... "Cannot Even Appoint Ambassador to Israel"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas enters its third day, raising fears of a full-scale war in the international community, the U.S. Biden administration, which had been pursuing an exit strategy in the Middle East, has shifted to direct intervention. President Joe Biden, who had refrained from commenting until now, disclosed his phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and declared that the U.S. government would directly mediate.

However, there is a prevailing assessment that the Biden administration’s preparations for mediation are insufficient, as it has yet to appoint even an ambassador to Israel. Concerns are also emerging that it will be difficult for the Biden administration to coordinate opinions, as the U.S. political sphere remains divided between conservatives who support the traditional pro-Israel policy and progressives who emphasize protecting Palestinian human rights.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 12th (local time), President Biden said at a White House press conference, "I spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and agreed to work closely with neighboring countries including Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar," adding, "I expect the conflict between Israel and Palestine to calm down soon."

This is the first time President Biden has publicly spoken about the Palestinian conflict since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas on the 10th. The Biden administration, which has been pursuing an exit strategy across the Middle East, including announcing the start of the Afghanistan withdrawal recently, is interpreted as having shifted to direct involvement in the Palestinian conflict.

On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also stated at a press conference, "Hady Amr, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, will be immediately dispatched to the region to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders," indicating that the U.S. government will directly mediate the bilateral conflict through a special envoy.

The reason for the Biden administration’s direct intervention is interpreted as concerns over a full-scale war between the two sides. According to local media such as The Times of Israel on the same day, Hamas fired over 1,700 rockets across Israel, including Tel Aviv, resulting in six deaths and over 200 injuries in Israel. In the Gaza Strip, 56 people were reported dead and more than 320 seriously injured due to Israeli retaliatory airstrikes.

The international community is calling for restraint from both sides, but the willingness to fight is intensifying. According to Al Jazeera, the Egyptian government sent a special envoy to propose ceasefire negotiations to both sides, but Israel and Hamas reportedly rejected the proposal outright. There are even concerns that Israel might deploy tens of thousands of ground troops and carry out a massacre, similar to the Gaza war in July 2014.

While successful U.S. mediation is seen as the only way to prevent a full-scale war, even within the U.S., the possibility of the Biden administration’s mediation is viewed very skeptically. According to CNN, the Biden administration plans to appoint an ambassador to Israel only by the end of this month and has just begun selecting about ten ambassador candidates. Critics point out that focusing on an exit strategy in the Middle East, domestic COVID-19 response, and economic issues has delayed even the appointment of an ambassador.

Concerns also exist that it will be difficult to unify opinions within the U.S. political sphere, which is divided between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian factions. According to the U.S. political media outlet The Hill, conservative lawmakers in both the Republican and Democratic parties insist that Israel’s position should be prioritized in line with America’s traditional pro-Israel policy. However, human rights organizations and progressive Democratic lawmakers who supported President Biden in the last election argue that Palestinian human rights must be emphasized, making it difficult to coordinate opinions between the two sides.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.