We've lost count of the number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza, where deadly Israeli strikes continue. International attention has now turned to Lebanon, where Israel continues to hit Beirut. Israeli troops are also carrying out operations in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, before the promised retaliation to Iranian missile fire on October 1 shifted the focus once again, fuelling concerns − unfortunately well-founded − about a possible regional conflagration.
For the time being, all that stands out about this chaos, in which some are trying to discern Israel's desire to reshape the Middle East through arms alone, is the spectacular impotence of the United States. Washington is Israel's closest ally and has provided an arsenal that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has used, without shame or limit, since the massacres perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
This position of privilege has always made the US capable of drawing red lines in the past. And yet right now, it barely seems able to do so. Admittedly, America's current political situation is a major reason for this. Joe Biden is a "lame duck president," weakened. In a month's time, he will be flanked by a president-elect who will render his words definitively inaudible.
Embarrassing humiliation
Domestic politics don't explain everything, however, especially when it comes to a leader who is convinced that he masters international affairs, but whose record on the topic may not be to his advantage. The weakening of the Democratic administration began long before Biden's decision to withdraw from the presidential campaign in favor of his vice president Kamala Harris.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken's repeated attempts at mediation in the region have failed to produce the slightest result. The vain American quest for a ceasefire in Gaza, which would have freed Israeli hostages captured a year ago and spared the lives of Palestinian civilians, has turned into an embarrassing humiliation. After constantly trampling over Biden's few red lines on Gaza, Netanyahu was invited to the White House in July, as if nothing had happened.
Likewise, Netanyahu contemptuously dismissed the US and France's proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon at the end of September, in the hope of sparing the politically paralyzed and economically shattered country from another ordeal. The US administration finally gave the impression of once again following Israel's lead, over the targets the Israeli army could choose in response to Iran's strikes against Israel.
With multilateralism in a coma, we can only deplore America's unwillingness to influence the course of events, in particular by using its military aid to Israel as leverage. What we've seen from the exclusive use of force in the Middle East over the last few decades should indeed call for the utmost caution.