Israel isn’t a vassal state of the U.S., JD Vance said. But when it comes to the ceasefire in Gaza and annexing the West Bank, Israeli decision-making is deeply intertwined with Washington’s current priorities.
The U.S. has pulled out of the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as Trump says that Hamas “didn’t really want to make a deal,” despite reports that its latest proposal was “better” than the one it had presented earlier in the week.
Israel announced the initial phase of “Gideon’s chariots,” the expanded ground invasion to permanently “conquer” Gaza, amid reports that Trump reneged on his deal with Hamas to lift the blockade, and will reportedly expel 1 million Gazans to Libya.
The release of Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander, following direct negotiations between the U.S. and Hamas, comes after the Trump administration had already caught Israel off guard by agreeing to halt hostilities with Yemen’s Ansar Allah.
Internal dissent in Israel’s military establishment is pushing the government to sign a ceasefire deal that would return Israeli captives at any cost. Netanyahu might find a political way out by promising right-wing allies that the West Bank is next.
Hamas said that it would release Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander and the bodies of four deceased Israeli captives. The announcement has backed Israel into a corner in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Israel has suspended the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and resumed targeting Palestinian civilians, bringing the ceasefire with Hamas the closest it has even been to collapse.