Politico | How Team Biden orchestrated a shorter war in Gaza
- Israel and Hamas agree to a ceasefire after 11 days of fighting
- US banked on quiet leverage, negotiation to bring quicker end to hostilities
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Nahal Toosi on politico.com on May 20, 2021.
As Biden administration officials sought to end the latest Israeli-Palestinian fighting, they kept two numbers in mind: 2012 and 2014.
The last two major conflagrations between Israel and Hamas militants who control the Gaza Strip took place in those years. The 2012 fighting lasted eight days, killing at least 160 Palestinians and six Israelis. Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played a key role. The 2014 episode is often described as a war; it lasted some 50 days, killing more than 2,200 Palestinians and over 70 Israelis. John Kerry, Clinton’s successor, was deeply involved in trying to broker a resolution.
According to three people familiar with the current situation, that playbook included US officials working primarily behind the scenes on the diplomatic front, especially at the start; blocking moves by the UN Security Council, including demands for a ceasefire; and relying on other players in the region, in particular Egypt, to do the heavy lifting on truce negotiations.
The next few days could signal whether the strategy succeeds. On Thursday, the Israeli government and Hamas announced they’d agreed to a ceasefire. The fighting was expected to stop at 2am Israel time Friday. More than 230 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis have died in the 11 days of clashes. No one expects the truce to last forever, but it’s a start.
“In my conversation with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, I commended him for the decision to bring the current hostilities to a close in less than 11 days,” Biden said early Thursday evening after word of the new ceasefire.