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US support of Israel’s Gaza operation deals blow to its clout in Middle East — report

The outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration "failed to safeguard even Palestinians’ most basic rights," the Foreign Affairs magazine said

NEW YORK, January 20. /TASS/. US standing in the Middle East has weakened greatly due to Washington’s support of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, according to an opinion piece run by the Foreign Affairs magazine.

"US sway with Arab governments and people has diminished with every shipment of US arms to Israel and every US veto to shield Israel at the UN," the piece said.

The outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration "failed to safeguard even Palestinians’ most basic rights," it said.

"Palestinians have no grounds to believe that Trump will end unwavering US support for Israel, even in the face of international legal cases against the country for genocide and war crimes, because he has a track record of backing Israel and has surrounded himself with avidly pro-Israeli advisers," the piece went on to say.

During his first presidential term, from 2017 to 2021, Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, supported Israeli sovereignty over Syria’s Golan Heights and stopped considering the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank as a violation of international law. After winning the US presidential election in 2024, the Republican contender offered key positions in his administration to people known for their radical pro-Israeli views.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza into Israel on October 7, accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking hostages, including children, women and elderly people. In response, Israel started an operation in the enclave to dismantle Hamas’ military and political organization and free all of the abducted people.

Throughout 2024 mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US made efforts to reach a ceasefire. At least 47,000 Palestinians have been killed and 111,000 others injured in Gaza as of January 2025, since the military operation began in October 2023, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.

On January 15, 2025, the mediators announced an agreement was reached to release the hostages and establish a ceasefire. On January 19, it entered into force. In the first phase of the deal, which will last 42 days, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. The radicals released three female hostages on the first day, while Israel let 90 Palestinian prisoners walk free.