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US Asks Iraq to Play Role in Calming Situation in Gaza

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday. (dpa)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday. (dpa)
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US Asks Iraq to Play Role in Calming Situation in Gaza

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday. (dpa)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday. (dpa)

US President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and discussed ongoing efforts to prevent an expansion of the Gaza conflict

The telephone call came about ten days after the al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing.

A White House statement said the two leaders discussed the importance of addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza in coordination with the UN and regional partners.

Biden and Sudani also affirmed the importance of the bilateral partnership between Iraq and the United States as outlined in their Strategic Framework Agreement.

They committed to regular coordination between their teams to advance shared objectives and preserve regional stability over the coming weeks.

Biden, according to a responsible Iraqi official source, urged Sudani to play a role in calming the tensions surrounding the Gaza crisis that is open to all possibilities.

The Iraqi source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Biden was the one who initiated the contact with the PM, and he also asked Sudani to make exceptional efforts to contain the conflict to prevent it from turning into a wide-scale war.

The source added that the US President stressed the importance of Iraq playing this role at this sensitive stage.

Sudani's media office said the call asserted the importance of mobilizing efforts and joint work to support stability in the region, saying they discussed measures to boost the bilateral relationship between Iraq and the US.

The two sides stressed the importance of containing the conflict and preventing the expansion of the war that targets civilians and threatens regional and international peace and stability.

Sudani asserted that Iraq has maintained its unyielding stance in supporting the Palestinian cause, calling the recent escalation of violence the "natural result" of Israel's crimes and violations against Palestinian people that has been met by "international silence" for years.

According to a statement from his office, the PM also highlighted the need to open humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to the civilians in Gaza.

Last month, Biden sent an official invitation to Sudani to visit the US at the end of this year.

Political observers in Iraq had previously doubted the White House could extend an invitation to Sudani to visit Washington.

However, Biden's invitation to Sudani, conveyed to him in New York by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the phone call regarding the Gaza events brought the issue of the Strategic Framework Agreement between Iraq and the US back to the forefront.

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Netanyahu Dashes Hopes for Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to the Air Force Command, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, earlier this month (dpa)
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to the Air Force Command, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, earlier this month (dpa)
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Netanyahu Dashes Hopes for Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to the Air Force Command, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, earlier this month (dpa)
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to the Air Force Command, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, earlier this month (dpa)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that fighting in Gaza would resume following any hostage deal with Hamas, according to a report on Monday on Channel 12 website.

His statement reinforced fears that the PM has no intention of ending the war and leaving the Strip anytime soon.

“If there is a deal—and I hope there will be—Israel will return to fighting afterward. There’s no reason to obscure or conceal this because resuming fighting is intended to complete the war’s objectives. This doesn’t obstruct a deal; it encourages one,” Channel 12 quoted the premier as saying.

The PM’s recent remarks came while negotiations for the release of hostages faced difficulties due to two issues: A request for Hamas to hand over a list of the names of detainees, whether alive or dead. Meanwhile, the movement insists that a proposed deal include the terms for an end to the war.

Channel 12 said the remarks sparked fresh concerns among members of the hostage negotiating team, who believe that such comments have made it more difficult to secure a deal.

They said Netanyahu’s statements reinforce Hamas' fears that the PM does not intend to reach the later stages of a ceasefire deal.

Mediators are actively seeking to reach an agreement before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office in about 20 days.

Channel 12 said Netanyahu's comments raised serious concerns that even in a partial agreement, the first stage of the envisioned three-phase deal, would not bear fruits.

Netanyahu has long insisted to resume fighting after any deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The PM said neither Hamas nor the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority should govern the territory, and that Israel will keep “full security control.”

Palestinians, Arabs and Americans fear that Israel intends to establish a military rule in the Gaza Strip. Israeli military and security service leaders oppose the idea and demand an immediate replacement for Hamas.

On Tuesday, the Yedioth Ahronoth quoted senior Israeli army officials as saying that failure to plan for Gaza's future governance could lead to a relapse of conditions that existed before the October 7 attack. “It’s that simple,” one official said.

Security officials emphasize that without decisive action on post-war governance, Hamas could rebuild its political power and regain control of Gaza.

“In the absence of an alternative, Hamas will inevitably return to power. Decisions must be made now, before any hostage deals or ceasefire agreements,” officials said.

This concern resonates within both the Israeli army and the Shin Bet. While Hamas’ military capabilities have been decimated, officials caution that the group’s political infrastructure remains intact.

A senior Israeli official said that according to Netanyahu, even if a deal is made, Israel would return to the fighting in Gaza until it achieves its declared goals, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

“The prime minister is in the opinion that there can be no plan for the day after the war until all of Hamas's capabilities are destroyed,” the official said, adding that there have been discussions in the appropriate forums on the matter.

He said: “the policy of the prime minister in Gaza is that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority (PA) would govern Gaza, including having responsibility over distribution of humanitarian aid.”

“The security agencies are considering alternatives and would continue to do so. Cutting Hamas off from aid distribution is meant to prevent the terror group from controlling the civilian population and to bring about the release of hostages,” the official said.

Amos Harel, a military analyst for the Haaretz newspaper, wrote that Netanyahu is unwilling to take the extra step to reach a deal, for a variety of political, personal and strategic reasons.

He said Netanyahu needs the war to continue to justify his moves up to now, and in order to prevent the establishment of a state commission of inquiry over the failures that enabled the October 7 attack, and in order to continue, under the fog of war, with his judicial coup legislation.