US strengthening military deployment in the Middle East will only bring greater crisis
2024-08-12
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US strengthening military deployment in the Middle East will only bring greater crisis
■Li Zixin
Recently, the White House issued a statement saying that US President Biden had a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, reiterating the US's commitment to Israel's security, saying it would help Israel "deal with all threats from Iran" and prevent Israel from "falling into a regional war" due to the assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh. At the same time, US Secretary of Defense Austin ordered the adjustment of US military deployment, sending more naval forces to the Middle East and Europe, and sending an additional fighter squadron to the Middle East to strengthen the US military's air defense support capabilities.
At present, with the situation in the Middle East suddenly tense and the spillover effects becoming increasingly obvious, this move by the United States is not only unhelpful in promoting peace in the Middle East, but will further exacerbate regional tensions and increase the risk of escalating conflicts.
For a long time, in order to consolidate its hegemony in the Middle East, the United States has not only continued to increase its support for Israel and ensure its military advantage in the Middle East, but also turned a blind eye to Israel's series of violations of Security Council resolutions and international law obligations. According to statistics from the Chicago Institute on Global Affairs, a US research institution, as of the end of 2023, 45 of the 89 draft resolutions vetoed by the United States in the Security Council involved Israel, including 33 on Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory or treatment of Palestinians. Some American scholars said that the reason why Israel's domestic politics and its treatment of Palestinians have become increasingly extreme is because the United States has unconditionally supported Israel over the past few decades, allowing it to "do whatever it wants."
Since the outbreak of a new round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict on October 7 last year, Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused huge disasters and casualties. The infrastructure in the Gaza Strip has been severely damaged and the humanitarian crisis is getting worse. A displaced Palestinian said: "We are being slaughtered by American planes, warships, tanks and troops. The weapons that kill us are all American. The tragedy in Gaza is caused by Israel and the United States. The United States supports Israel's killing behavior."
At the same time, the United States has also tasted the bitter fruit of its blind favoritism towards Israel. Today, the United States, which should have been in a dominant position, has become increasingly passive in the US-Israel alliance. Recently, in the face of the Biden administration's position of "hoping that Israel will bridge the differences on the ceasefire in Gaza and finalize the agreement as soon as possible", Israel has continued to go its own way. Even after Netanyahu returned home from his visit to the United States, it immediately escalated its military strikes against Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon, and threatened to continue to expand the scope of the strike and start "multi-line operations". Not only is it difficult for the United States to control Israel's military adventures, but it also has to continue to deliver weapons to Israel and send troops to escort Israeli ships in the Red Sea... All these time-consuming, labor-intensive and costly actions have made the American people dissatisfied. Not long ago, thousands of people protested Netanyahu's visit to the United States near the U.S. Capitol, and dozens of U.S. congressmen also boycotted Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress.
Today, facing the grim situation in the Middle East, the parties concerned should comply with the international community's call for a ceasefire, fully implement the Security Council resolutions, actively cooperate with and support international mediation efforts, and take concrete actions to promote the cooling of the situation and restore regional peace and tranquility. History has repeatedly proved that military means and the abuse of force are not the way out of problems. The United States' insistence on strengthening its military deployment in the Middle East is undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire, which will only intensify conflicts and bring greater crises.
(Author’s unit: China Institute of International Studies)
(Source: China Military Network-Liberation Army Daily)
