US ‘playing games’ with ceasefire calls while supporting Israel militarily: Analyst
Al Jazeera spoke a little earlier to Omar Rahman, a fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, about the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, what comes next for Hezbollah and the role of the US in Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza.
“In terms of a ceasefire in Lebanon… I think the US is playing games, to be honest. It is trying to appear as the responsible partner while pushing the Israelis, financing the Israelis,” Rahman told Al Jazeera.
“I think there are people behind the scenes within the US administration that are very much on board with Israel’s strategy. They are communicating regularly in terms of the military strategy,” Rahman said.
“So when the Israelis are telling them we have a chance to go out there and take Hezbollah by surprise and really deal them a decisive blow, I think the United States is not telling them, ‘Don’t do it’. I think they are actually pushing it behind the scenes.
“Widening the lens here, the United States has been totally complicit in the destruction of Gaza over the past year. It has given Israel everything it has wanted. It hasn’t pushed back. It hasn’t enforced any red lines. So I think the US is as much to blame for what’s happened as Israel itself.”
US ceasefire talk ‘means nothing’ while sending Israel weapons: Analyst
Phyllis Bennis, a fellow with the Washington, DC-based Institute for Policy Studies think tank, said the US talks about a ceasefire but sends more weapons to Israel. And Israel’s leaders are only concerned about the US actions and not words when it comes to its wars on Gaza and now, Lebanon.
“What we are seeing is very much what we’ve seen for almost a year regarding Gaza. The United States, and its president, say one thing. He says we need a ceasefire. We don’t want to expand the war. But it is the actions that Israel is responding to,” Bennis told Al Jazeera.
“The actions of the United States and President Biden are to continue sending weapons and money that enable genocide in Gaza and the war that’s increasing in Lebanon… that is the message that gets through to Netanyahu and the rest of the Israeli leadership.
“Just yesterday, the White House approved the use of another $8bn worth of weapons that are now being approved to be sent to Israel,” she said. “So all of the talk about ceasefire means nothing. It means nothing as long as they continue to send these weapons and now send troops,” she added.
‘Tension between Lebanon and Israel is a spillover of the Gaza conflict’: China
Beijing opposes any violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty following Israel’s devastating wave of air strikes which killed Nasrallah, China’s Foreign Ministry said.
“China opposes the infringement on Lebanon’s sovereignty and security, opposes and condemns any action against innocent civilians, and opposes any move that fuels antagonism and escalates regional tensions,” the ministry said.
“The tension between Lebanon and Israel is a spillover of the Gaza conflict. The pressing priority is to implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions, end the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, and earnestly safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East,” it added.
Pakistan denounces ‘growing Israeli adventurism in the Middle East’
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon and the killing of Nasrallah as “reckless” and a “major escalation in an already volatile region”.
“For the last several days, Israeli forces have engaged in unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon, relentlessly targeting civilian population centers, and undermining its stability and security,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We urge the United Nations Security Council to restrain Israel from its adventurism in the region and violations of international law; and restore peace in the Middle East.”
Demonstrations in Bahrain after Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon
Demonstrations have been held in Bahrain amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon. The protesters could be heard chanting in honour of assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The February 14 Revolution Youth Coalition opposition movement in Bahrain also released a statement to commemorate Nasrallah as a leader who “never feared the brutality” of Israel, according to Iran’s state-run PressTV.
Bahrain normalised relations with Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, and human rights organisations have reported that the Arab nation has stifled protests against Israeli attacks on Gaza and across the region since the start of the war.
الشارع البحريني يشهد انتفاضة ومسيرات تأبينيه لشهيد الأمة وسيد المقاومة - السهلة الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/zWlnvfaDwB
— Alwefaq Society (@ALWEFAQ) September 28, 2024
Translation: Bahraini street witnesses uprising and memorial marches for the nation’s martyr and master of resistance, in Southern Sahla.
