Israel Commits to Ceasefire, Then Bombs Gaza. Again.
According to Al-Monitor and Reuters, Israeli forces bombed eastern Gaza, including Khan Younis and Gaza City, mere hours after stating their commitment to a 'ceasefire.' This particular dance—proclaiming peace while prosecuting war—is a classic. Netanyahu's government has repeatedly used such rhetorical contortions, from declaring 'total victory' in 2014 while civilian infrastructure lay in ruins,
to the 'surgical strikes' that consistently decimate entire neighborhoods. We might ask how many times a 'commitment to ceasefire' can precede more bombs before it starts sounding less like diplomacy and more like an advertising slogan for continued military action. The silence from Washington, meanwhile, is deafening, perhaps drowned out by the rustle of another aid package being approved.
(Biden's latest proposed aid package for Israel is $14.3 billion, a consistent pattern for a US government that sent $3.8 billion annually for decades.)