No ceasefire in Gaza, a looming war in Lebanon. ‘Enabling’ is no strategy for success.
By Khaled Elgindy, Responsible Statecraft
As hopes for a Gaza ceasefire continue to fade, the threat of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah is now greater than at any time since October 7.
Following the release of a Hezbollah video shot by surveillance drones over various targets in northern Israel, Israeli officials warned of “an all-out war” in which Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon would be sent “back to the Stone Age.” Not to be outdone, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is threatening a war with “no restraint and no rules and no ceilings.”
Such a war would be catastrophic for Lebanese and Israeli civilians alike, and risks drawing Iran into wider conflict that engulfs the entire region. It would also instantly unravel what had been one of the Biden administration’s few achievements since October 7 — preventing a full-blown regional war.
Even as the Israel-Lebanon front heats up, however, the most serious threats to de-escalation in Lebanon and to prospects for a Gaza ceasefire come from the Biden administration itself.
One need only look at realities in Gaza, where nearly nine months of war have cost the lives of more than 37,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them women and children, and reduced most of Gaza to rubble. Despite putting forward a comprehensive ceasefire plan, which now has the backing of the United Nations Security Council, the Biden administration has done little to alter the basic cost-benefit calculations of either side — particularly Israel’s.
Recent Posts
Midterms Have Revived Universal Healthcare Debate. These States Are Ahead of Everyone.
Take Action Now States have often served as laboratories to test health policies later implemented nationally.By Markian Hawryluk, KFF Health……
Nobel Peace Prize Turns Toward Peace in 2026
Take Action Now To have finally acknowledged someone whose work in any way addressed the horrors of Zionism is an encouraging sign from the Nobel…
64 Groups to Congress: Start Preparing Tough and Effective Oversight Right Now
Take Action Now The question is not whether the public wants accountability, but whether Congress can conduct the meaningful oversight that exposes…
“Abolish ICE”: Protests Erupt in NYC After ICE Agents Shoot Father With 5-Year-Old Son in Car
Take Action Now “Candidates should seek support from the AI industry at their own peril.”By Amy Goodman, Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Carmen De…