US overt, covert plans for Gaza war
By Jahanbakhsh Izadi
International relations expert
The world is a plurality of entities. That is why we see disparate positions taken by countries regarding the war on Gaza. Regardless, what is plainly obvious is that the United States has fully entered the war.
Whenever the US is brought up in conversation, one should take into account the heightened role that the country plays and now is unimaginable for any other country to play. For example, the US wields an exceptional power in making or breaking coalitions as demonstrated by the mobilization of its allies in support of Israel. Anyone who has seen the country engaged in a battle of narratives or media warfare knows that it also has an undeniable influence on international institutions.
Washington’s plans for the Gaza war are either overt or covert, with each probably having short-term and long-term objectives.
We saw the overt plans of the United States in action. They are easily gleaned from the following actions:
1. It has tried to prevent the condemnation or restriction of Israel in international institutions. For example, Washington has vetoed the United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for “humanitarian pauses” in the war.
2. It has delivered military equipment to Israel, some overtly and some not. It has even dispatched its fleet to the region to deter attacks on the occupying regime.
3. It has put a spotlight on the October 7 attack by Hamas on the occupied territories in order to strike preemptively in the battle of narratives in the media. This battle became a means to justify the devastating attacks of Israel on Gaza and the killing of Palestinians.
4. It has also tried and still tries to orient its allies in the Arab world, Europe, and the G7 to conform to its logic and approach.
The covert plans of the US for the war, however, are secret and somewhat unclear. For instance, it is not evident what its plans are for the normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel after this. The fate of Gaza is equally unclear. Will Gaza be handed over to the Palestinian Authority? Will the plan for the forced migration of Gazans to the Sinai Desert be still on the table? Will Gaza get under the control of international forces? What is certain is that the US admittedly does not want the besieged enclave to be occupied by Israel. Washington will surely have plans for every one of these possibilities.
Tel Aviv is against a cease-fire because a cease-fire is not currently included in any of Washington’s plans. The recent G7 statement reflected that the US and its allies prefer to use the new term “humanitarian pause,” which is a short-term solution for delivering aid, not for stopping the war.
Israel and the US are not willing to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas, stressing that to negotiate with Hamas is to recognize it. This is not the whole picture. The other part of it answers the following questions: What country or organization would be assigned the responsibility of negotiating with Hamas, and Gaza will be handed over to which group?
The situation is very complicated right now, and we can’t even say who Israel or the US will negotiate with. It seems that Hamas, as a warring party, will not be a side to the negotiation. Israel and the US are dreaming about a Gaza without Hamas. Nevertheless, Hamas, as a school of thinking and a way to stand against greedy demands and horrible crimes of Israel is indestructible. So, it seems that Israeli attacks on Gaza with the support of the US will go on at least for a few more days.