Ehud Barak, the former Israeli Prime Minister, proposed the formation of a multinational Arab force to reclaim control of Gaza following Israel’s military operations. Drawing on his experience as the head of the Israel Defense Forces, Barak estimated that completely eliminating Hamas could take several months to a year.
As civilian casualties escalate in Gaza and the number of hostages approaches 200, Western nations are noticeably retracting their strong backing of Israel. The increasing prevalence of Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the West reflects a significant public outcry taking the forefront, overshadowing government guidance.
In private discussions, Barak foresaw Israel losing favor among the public in Europe, potentially impacting their subsequent governments within a week or two, with America likely to follow suit shortly thereafter.
Nonetheless, as President Biden called on Netanyahu to implement a humanitarian pause on Monday, the prospect of this decline in support may be approaching more rapidly than previously anticipated. In response to the notion of a pause, Netanyahu countered that the president had himself stated that a cease-fire would amount to yielding to Hamas.
Despite Biden’s apparent determination to halt retaliatory attacks, the Republican members in the House of Representatives are hesitant to support this approach. Recently, the House approved a bill offering urgent assistance to Israel. However, when this bill was fast-tracked to the Senate, it faced significant opposition.
The proposed legislation, aiming to allocate $14.3 billion to Israel while simultaneously reducing the IRS budget by the same amount, encountered opposition from Senate Democrats, who ultimately prevented its passage. Democrats argued that House Republicans were engaging in political maneuvers and, instead of collaborating to create bipartisan legislation, postponed funding. According to the Senate Majority, providing funds to Israel was contingent on allocating additional funding for Ukraine.
As public sentiment in the West becomes increasingly challenging, Israel’s actions seem to be charting an independent course. Regardless of whether America and Europe align with their stance, Israel remains steadfastly committed to their primary objective: safeguarding their own existence.
