US Deploys Top Envoy To Israel As Fighting Rages With Hamas

Cat:

Related stories

Dele Momodu Tells Tinubu: You Can’t Say Nigerians are Busybodies, Bystanders to Praise Wike

By Abiola Olawale A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party...

Oil Prices Slip Despite U.S.-China Talks

Crude oil prices moved lower earlier today even after...

Drama As Elon Musk Reverses Self on Trump, Says Criticism Went too far

By Abiola Olawale Elon Musk, the billionaire Chief Executive Officer...

Ex-Minister, Essien Blasts Gov Umo Eno For Piling Pressure on Lawmakers to Defect

Says, Lawmakers have independent mandates By Abiola Olawale A former...

Nigeria Not At War Yet Citizens Living Like Refugees In Own Country — Peter Obi

By Kolawole Ojebisi Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP)...

Washington is sending senior diplomat Hady Amr to Israel in its most significant effort thus far to help de-escalate the fighting with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Mr Amr, deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli and Palestinian affairs, will be making his first trip to Israel on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced at a press briefing.
US sources told The National the trip had initially been planned for next week but was moved up due to the fighting.

President Joe Biden’s administration is leaning on Egypt and Jordan to help broker a truce before Eid on Thursday, the sources said.

But those hopes have dimmed amid an intense exchange of air strikes and rocket attacks between Israel and Hamas. At least 56 Palestinians and six Israelis have been killed.

Former US envoy to the region Martin Indyk called the trip “necessary and important”.

“It is a sign of engagement by the Biden administration. Mr Amr cannot be a mediator at this stage in the conflict but he can engage with both sides and advise Washington on possible ways to end the fighting,” Mr Indyk, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told The National.

Sarah Yerkes of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said Mr Amr’s trip is welcome news but Washington alone can’t bring about a breakthrough.

“It is a good move by the US to send Hady Amr, who has a history of working with both sides during the Obama administration,” Ms Yerkes, a former State Department official, told The National.

Mr Amr served as deputy special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations during the second term of former president Barack Obama.

His trip comes amid criticism over the Biden administration’s slow reaction to the Jerusalem crisis, and Mr Biden has yet to comment on the situation.

“The US had been rightly criticised for their tepid response to the escalating crisis and getting their hands in this, through Mr Amr as a mediator, shows both sides that Washington is paying attention and not sitting on the sidelines,” Ms Yerkes argued.

But she described US leverage as constrained, given that it has no direct channel to Hamas.

“There is not likely much Mr Amr will be able to bring to the table. Hamas has very little to lose by continuing their aggression and the US is not likely to abandon its support for Israel,” Ms Yerkes said.

Washington has been pressuring Cairo to help arrange a ceasefire. On Tuesday, the White House said that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had spoken with his Egyptian counterpart, Abbas Kamel.

But a quick end to the fighting before Eid is unrealistic, diplomatic sources said, given the intensity of the fighting, now at its worst level in seven years.

Agency Report 

'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide's journalism works intersect business, environment, politics and developmental issues. Among a number of local and international publications, his work has appeared in the New York Times. He's a winner of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Award. Currently, the Online Editor at The New Diplomat, Akintomide has produced reports that uniquely spoke to Nigeria's experience on Climate Change issues. When Akintomide is not writing, volunteering or working on a media project, you can find him seeing beautiful sites like the sandy beaches that bedecked the Lagos coastline.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Dele Momodu Tells Tinubu: You Can't Say Nigerians are Busybodies, Bystanders to Praise WikeOil Prices Slip Despite U.S.-China TalksDrama As Elon Musk Reverses Self on Trump, Says Criticism Went too farEx-Minister, Essien Blasts Gov Umo Eno For Piling Pressure on Lawmakers to DefectNigeria Not At War Yet Citizens Living Like Refugees In Own Country -- Peter ObiFubara's Sins 'll Be Forgiven Only If... APC2027: I'm Ready To Die For Tinubu's Victory In Abia -- KaluAtiku's Ally, Segun Sowunmi, Hints At Dumping PDP For APC, Says 'I May Likely Leave'Why I Renamed IBB's Govt Built International Conference Centre After Tinubu - WikeMy Soul Has Left PDP, Says MomoduLet’s Go To Party, By Uzor Maxim UzoatuBudget of barbarians, for brigands, by buccaneersOil Prices Could Sink Below $50 This YearExclusive: Nigeria's $5 billion oil-backed loan from Aramco delayed by oil price drop, say sourcesTop APC Chieftain, Jesutega Onokpasa Dies at 49
X whatsapp