Biden set foot on the ＂embarrassing road＂ in the Middle East
Xinhua News Agency, Washington, October 18th (international observation) Biden stepped on the "embarrassing road" in the Middle East.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Xianlai
US President Biden arrived in Israel on the 18th for a visit. On the eve of the visit, a hospital in Gaza was attacked by air, killing hundreds of people. Palestine pointed its finger at Israel, which denied it. Jordan announced in the early hours of the 18th that it would cancel the meeting of the leaders of Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and the United States scheduled to be held in Amman that day.
Analysts pointed out that Biden’s visit has both internal and external purposes. Internally, he hopes to boost the election for next year’s general election through this visit, while externally, he will show his support for Israel and balance relations with Arab countries. However, the attack on Gaza City Hospital and the subsequent cancellation of the meeting by Arab leaders put Biden in an awkward position.
A terrible attack
Pakistani security officials told Xinhua that a large number of displaced people were temporarily living in the attacked hospital, and a strong explosion could be heard at the scene, which also triggered a fire. Palestinian President Abbas announced on the same day that he would mourn for the hospital victims and the Palestinians killed in the current conflict for three days throughout Pakistan.
On October 18th, in the West Bank city of Nablus, people took to the streets to protest the attack on Gaza Hospital. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Nidal Ashtaye)
The attack on Gaza City Hospital triggered strong condemnation from Palestinians and neighboring countries. Palestinian Prime Minister Ashtiyah issued a statement saying that the "massacre" in Gaza City Hospital was a terrible crime of "genocide"; Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati and Speaker of Parliament Berry condemned the "Israeli attack on Gaza City Hospital"; King Abdullah II of Jordan strongly condemned the "Israeli air strikes on Gaza City Hospital" and warned that the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict has entered a dangerous stage; The Turkish Foreign Ministry also issued a statement saying that Turkey was very angry at "the Israeli attack on the hospital in Gaza City, which killed hundreds of Palestinians".
The IDF responded that armed groups in the Gaza fired several rockets at Israel that night, among which the rocket fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Jehad) was wrong and hit the hospital, and it should be responsible for this matter.
According to the statement of the World Health Organization, the attacked hospital was one of 20 hospitals in the northern part of the Gaza Strip that were evacuated by the Israeli military. WHO calls on Israel to revoke the evacuation order, abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of medical institutions. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Tü rk, described the attack as "terrible" and called it "totally unacceptable". The violence and killings must stop immediately, and the international community must make every effort to end this situation.
Randa Slim, a senior researcher and director of conflict resolution at the Middle East Institute of American think tank, said that after the attack on the hospital, "the situation will be very bad".
An awkward visit
Biden issued a statement after the incident, saying that he was angry and deeply saddened by the explosion in Gaza City Hospital. The BBC reported that Biden faced an embarrassing situation with the cancellation of the meeting between the leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Palestine.
Abbas said in a speech that the Israeli government has crossed "all red lines". Jordanian Foreign Minister Assafadi said that the new meeting time of the Quartet will depend on when the countries concerned agree to end the "war and massacre against Palestinians".
On October 16th, in Khan Younis, the southern city of Gaza, people walked past the ruins of buildings damaged by Israeli air strikes. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Rizek Abdul Jawad)
CNN said that Biden faced a dilemma in the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, both to express anger and to avoid the escalation of the conflict. Biden tried to achieve his goal by meeting with Arab leaders, and balanced the relationship with Arab partners while supporting Israel. However, the meeting was cancelled at the last minute, which meant that Biden faced new diplomatic problems.
Charles Lister, a senior researcher at the Middle East Institute, said that the timing and expected results of Biden’s visit to Israel were extremely bad. Daniel Curtze, the former US ambassador to Israel, pointed out that the attack on Gaza City Hospital left Biden in an unwilling situation.
Bad Middle East policy
Jonathan Panikov, a scholar of the Atlantic Council of the United States, said that the lack of a real strategy in the Palestinian-Israeli issue will pose a long-term risk.
Over the years, the United States has frequently provoked conflicts in the Middle East, and even launched wars to directly promote regime change, which has led to repeated wars in many countries in the Middle East, mired in conflicts and security dilemmas. Hafsha Halava, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, bluntly said that the image of the United States in the Middle East could not be saved, and that "Americans are immoral in this region".
However, with next year’s US election approaching, American politicians still regard the Middle East issue as a bargaining chip in the face of a serious humanitarian crisis. As Jon altman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States, said, Biden’s status as a politician determines the significance of this visit. For him, this is an extension of the campaign.
On October 16th, in Khan Younis, a city in the south of Gaza, people rescued the wounded in the ruins of buildings after the Israeli attack. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Yasser Kudi)
The US Newsweek website article pointed out that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict forced the White House to face the potential prospect of regional war, which may consume the government’s energy for weeks or months. This is the worst diplomatic crisis for Biden when he is stepping up his campaign.
Analysts pointed out that in recent years, the issue of Israel has become more and more popular in American partisan politics, and the Republican Party has repeatedly attacked the Democratic Party for "not supporting Israel enough". Biden hopes to take this visit to highlight his consistent commitment to Israel, so as to consolidate or win the votes of Jewish and Christian evangelicals in China.
To Biden’s embarrassment, the Democratic Party did not fully support his "pro-Israel" stance. Many progressive lawmakers criticized "civilian casualties caused by Israeli air strikes" and called on the conflicting parties to cease fire immediately and provide humanitarian assistance to the Gaza. In addition, polls show that Democrats’ sympathy for Palestine is on the rise in recent years, so it is still unknown to what extent Biden can get political points through this visit. (Participating in reporters: Liu Pinran, Liu Weijian)