There have been violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem over the past few days. The impetus was the impending eviction of some Arab families in East Jerusalem in favor of Israeli settlers. Hamas fired rockets at Israel, which responded with an airstrike on the Gaza Strip. The press discusses the position of the international community.
Netanyahu’s weakness only makes matters worse
In other circumstances, the head of government would probably have taken more effective measures to establish control over the situation, ” The Economist believes:
“Netanyahu is tired and confused. In just two years, he has run four election campaigns — and in none of them have the results been convincing. His rivals are about to conclude an agreement that will remove him from power. This leaves Netanyahu with little hope that he will be able to wind down the corruption trial launched against him. The first witnesses have already begun to give evidence in court. If Netanyahu had been in a stronger position, he might have been able to keep the police and his far-right supporters in check. Apparently, someone else will be making the decisions soon.”
The conflict has spread beyond Jerusalem
Now everything will depend on the position of the United States, ” writes Alberto Negrin, an expert on the Middle East, on the pages of Il Manifesto:
“The fact that the Palestinian protest has now engulfed both the heart of the holy city and other cities is causing the Arab governments to wake up from their stupor. It is not only the reaction of Jordan, Iran, or Tunisia that is interesting but also the reaction of the United States — while Italy and the EU either remain silent or repeat the false mantra ‘No to violence on both sides. Biden has not yet taken a clear position or questioned his predecessor Trump’s explosive decisions. … But at the same time, he seriously stirred up Prime Minister Netanyahu, starting a dialogue with Iran in order to return the United States to the nuclear deal.”
Now it will be harder for Israel
Under Biden, the situation for Israel has changed, — this observation is shared by the newspaper Rzeczpospolita:
“Recent changes in the global political arena call into question the Israeli achievements of the Trump era. The new Arab allies, driven by fear of the wrath of their own population, are forced to express their indignation. Criticism is heard even from the US leadership. Moderate, but nevertheless clear — compared to what has been happening in recent years. Biden’s team is under pressure from the left-wing of the Democratic Party, which demands that the United States lead the fight for Palestinian rights.”
