The frequency of Israeli threats of war against Hezbollah in Lebanon has notably increased again, following a relative decline in recent days. This coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States, where he affirmed before Congress the continuation of the war until Hamas is eliminated, disregarding discussion about the fate of President Joe Biden's initiative for a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. Members of Congress were urged to expedite shipments of American arms to Israel to achieve this goal, as reported by "Al-Liwa."
Netanyahu attempted to bolster his position by leveraging his reception in Congress and the opportunity to deliver a speech amidst the brutal war being waged on Gaza for nearly nine months. He sought to exploit his reception and the electoral changes leading up to presidential elections to pressure President Biden in their meeting yesterday, asking him to rethink the American administration's policies aimed at implementing Biden's initiative to halt the war in Gaza, accelerate the release of hostages, and prevent the threats posed by Netanyahu and military leaders to expand the war against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. This was framed under the pretense of preventing escalation in the region and supporting Israel with weapons and military supplies to continue its ongoing aggressive war.
However, the facts and indicators that accompanied Netanyahu's visit to Washington did not suggest that the current American administration would reconsider its policy regarding the Israeli war on Gaza in response to Netanyahu's request, nor would it improve the deteriorating relationship with him after the severe disagreements caused by his government's policies in its criminal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and its bloody actions in the West Bank. The notable absence of Vice President Harris and many prominent Democratic Party representatives from Netanyahu's speech in Congress reflects clear discontent regarding this visit, which comes as Netanyahu continues to challenge the American administration and refuses to engage with President Biden's initiative to end the war before his term expires in the coming months.
Therefore, it is necessary to await the final outcomes of the Israeli Prime Minister’s meeting with the American President and senior administration officials to determine what results will emerge from it, whether they convince him to alter Washington's policy towards him, or if he will be persuaded to comply and move forward with Biden's initiative to end the war in Gaza, accelerate the exchange deal, and wait for American presidential advisor Amos Hochstein's efforts to finalize the agreement with Lebanon. This may be challenging in light of the preemptive positions outlined in Congress, indicating his government’s continuation of the war against Gaza and even risking its expansion against Hezbollah in Lebanon, all while exploiting the American administration's distraction due to President Biden's potential resignation, despite all its serious implications for the entire region, as noted by "Al-Liwa."
