A lasting peace has to become thinkable again. And it will be – if extremists on both sides are shunned
Beneath the surface of the war between Israel and Hamas, another conflict rages. In this clash, the battle lines are drawn in a very different place, and the alliances and enmities take unexpected shapes. We got a glimpse of it this week – and when the current violence subsides, we shall see it even more starkly.
Right now, that moment – what diplomats and others refer to as “the day after” – seems a long way off, though the visit to Israel on Friday of the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, suggests that Washington is already looking at its watch: proof that even some of Israel’s staunchest allies are alarmed by the mounting loss of life in Gaza. Blinken is urging Israel to do more to protect civilians; others demand a ceasefire, or at least a pause. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is under pressure. But this week, as he sought to make Israel’s case, he received help from an unexpected quarter.
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