More Israeli attacks in Gaza….
An in-depth look at the political situation for Netanyahu and Biden going forward….
Here’s what we know:
Israel struck central and southern Gaza again as its military pressed deeper into the enclave.
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Israeli military strikes hit Gaza areas filled with displaced civilians.
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Netanyahu says Israel’s war effort needs more time.New
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Israel says it destroyed a hide-out used by Hamas’s leader in Gaza.
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An Israeli hostage describes her time in captivity in searing detail.
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The Biden administration again bypasses Congress for a weapons sale to Israel.
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Needing labor, Israel recruits workers from South Asia….
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President Biden Is beginning to get hurt politically by backing Israel’s continued attack in Gaza that Israeli Prime Minister says WILL continue…
Prime Minister Netanyahu IS going to HAVE to figure out how far he can go, even if he says he’ll be at this ‘for as long as it take’….
Biden WILL HAVE move to help Gaza recover when this IS all over, no doubt….
Mr. Biden has seen growing internal resistance to his backing of Israel, including multiple dissent cables from State Department diplomats. In November, more than 500 political appointees and staff members representing some 40 government agencies sent a letter to Mr. Biden protesting his support of Israel’s war in Gaza. Congressional Democrats have been pressing him to curb Israel’s assault, and the United States has found itself at odds with other countries at the United Nations.
The friction appears to be coming to a head as the new year arrives. The Biden team recognizes that its challenge is not just Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since Israelis across the board support the military operation that according to the Gaza Health Ministry has killed more than 20,000 people. But there is no serious discussion inside the administration of a meaningful change in policy, like cutting off the arms supply to Israel. Instead, Mr. Biden remains determined to navigate the crisis within the crisis by using the credibility he earned through steadfast support of Israel to shape its next chapter, although it is unclear how much leverage that gives him….
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The recent conversations between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu have grown more strained. Every call is tense and sometimes sharp, officials say, but at the same time matter of fact. Difficult but constructive is the phrase often used. The tone described by insiders has been along the lines of, “Look, man, you’ve got to do more about this or take this more seriously.” The two men have known each other for decades and are not truly friends, but understand each other’s politics and their mutual dependence at this point….
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As for Mr. Biden’s team, the real debate is about the language to use and how hard to push, but no one inside is really pressing for a dramatic policy shift like suspending weapons supplies to Israel — if for no other reason than they understand the president is not willing to do so….
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To the extent that Mr. Netanyahu’s resistance to American entreaties is performative politics for a domestic audience, it also has a time limit, according to Martin S. Indyk, a former two-time American ambassador to Israel.
“It’s a case of steady insistence that Bibi come around,” he said, referring to Mr. Netanyahu by his nickname. “That’s what we’re witnessing. I’m quite confident in predicting that Bibi will do so in the new year. He just has to figure out a way of explaining to his coalition partners that while it might look like he’s giving into Biden, he’s not really doing so. There will be a lot of winking going on.”