In a recent article published by a Bangladeshi daily before the September 24 assassination of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the Palestinian ambassador to Dhaka, Yousef Ramadan, castigated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure of ceasefire deals with Hamas on Gaza.
"By taking ceasefire deals off the table, manipulating the U.S. and the West, Netanyahu may just be poised to engineer his dreams professionally. Iran is aware of the depth of the impasse and that the U.S. carriers have been sent with the aim of messaging, not with the aim of igniting a war. But Netanyahu's actions have left Iran with very few options: to respond or not to respond," the Palestinian ambassador wrote.
In the article, titled "Why The Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Keeps Failing," Ramadan also stated: "Netanyahu knows that a ceasefire deal would grant safety to Israeli citizens as well, but it conflicts with his aim of provoking a wider war with Iran." The Palestinian ambassador also warned that Russia could be involved if Israel starts a war against Iran.
Palestinian ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef Ramadan
Following are excerpts from the report:
"The War... In Many Ways, Is Considered An 'American War' With The U.S.'s Involvement, Backing And Major Backtracking From Any Solution Proposed Beforehand"
"Netanyahu has handcuffed every mediator of ceasefire deals, especially the U.S., by imposing conditions that Hamas will not accept, and conditions that he knows Hamas will not accept. The U.S. has failed time and again to exert any real pressure – under a weak president – to make Israel agree to a ceasefire deal; Joe Biden remarked in Time magazine, as recently as in early June [2024], that there is 'every reason' to draw the conclusion that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation.
"Everything that has happened in the past few years has proven a fact that the U.S. cannot deny, which is that the main weapon in Netanyahu's hand is the laxity in U.S. diplomacy toward Israel, which has now morphed into a culture of deference.
"The war, however, in many ways, is considered an 'American war' with the U.S.'s involvement, backing and major backtracking from any solution proposed beforehand. But political calculations regarding the dynamics with Netanyahu suggest that it is now increasingly unobtainable for the U.S., under this administration, to end the war. One could argue that [U.S. Secretary of State Antony] Blinken's efforts at so-called 'peace' would have been more successful had he carried bags of rice and flour in his giant jet and given it to starving Palestinians in Gaza, instead of flying thousands of kilometers to talk and have expensive yet futile conversations.
"Netanyahu and his cabinet were very clear in their aims to deliver a multi-dimensional blow, when they decided to assassinate Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's Political Bureau in Tehran, right after Netanyahu's controversial visit to Washington, where he garnered shameless applause from members of Congress. Iran has maintained that it will retaliate, leaving the U.S. in another precarious situation to deal with a wider eruption in the Middle East.
"Once again, the U.S. is flexing its muscles with its fleet, sending stealth fighters, dozens of F-22 Raptors, even a guided-missile submarine along with a Marine Corps squadron, not to mention bolstering U.S. forces in its bases in the region – only to show its support for Israel. As the Democrats face a high-stakes elections against Donald Trump where their support for Israel's genocide can play a 'make or break' role for Vice President Kamala Harris's election bid, Biden recently approved a further $3.5 billion in military aid to Israel, as Israel bombed a religious school, Al-Tabieen, and a mosque in Gaza... highlighting unspeakable brutality."
Netanyahu "Has Been Touting Messianic Beliefs Since October 7, 2023, Because He Has One Delusional Aim: To Use This Unprecedented Opportunity To Rebuild The Israel That Ben-Gurion Created, Which Can Only Be Done Through The Destruction Of Iran And Its Axis"
"Anyone who has followed the biography of Benjamin Netanyahu knows that he has always held a dream of starting a war with Iran and dragging the U.S. into it. U.S. presidents, including [George W.] Bush, [Barack] Obama, [Donald] Trump, and now Biden, have largely never shared Netanyahu's enthusiasm. Netanyahu has long considered Iran as Israel's primary threat to security; even in his address in Congress, he called protesters calling for a ceasefire 'Iran's useful idiots,' and said, 'When we fight Iran, we are fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States.'
"Similarly, in 2012, Netanyahu took a paper showing a graphic bomb to the United Nations General Assembly, and ridiculously made drawings on it on the podium, to demonstrate the grave threats of Iran's nuclear capabilities. He had waged a public campaign and failed to convince former President Obama to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, which he achieved later in 2018 with Donald Trump, convincing him to also adopt a policy of 'maximum pressure' on Iran, placing it under severe sanctions.
"By eschewing reaching ceasefire deals in Gaza now, Netanyahu continues to feed his disturbing obsession with Iran; Netanyahu's 'Iranian file is the file of life' is an age-old title by journalists in the region that he achieved for his scorched-earth policy toward Iran since becoming the prime minister of Israel. Even when Netanyahu faced trials and charges of corruption in 2021, he escalated half-covert attacks on Iran's facilities and attacks on Iranian shipping in the Persian Gulf. The political timing of the security crisis of immense 'Iranian threats' came not-so-subtly with the goal of making it easier for Netanyahu to form another government under his leadership.
"Netanyahu knows that a ceasefire deal would grant safety to Israeli citizens as well, but it conflicts with his aim to provoke a wider war with Iran. He has been touting messianic beliefs since October 7, 2023, because he has one delusional aim: to use this unprecedented opportunity to rebuild the Israel that Ben-Gurion created, which can only and be done through the destruction of Iran and its axis. This warped logic is the only way to understand Netanyahu's politics.
"By taking ceasefire deals off the table, manipulating the U.S. and the West, Netanyahu may just be poised to engineer his dreams professionally. Iran is aware of the depth of the impasse and that the U.S. carriers have been sent with the aim of messaging, not with the aim of igniting a war. But Netanyahu's actions have left Iran with very few options: to respond or not to respond.
"The wolf has managed to trap everyone in his sadistic quest to become a historical wartime figure. As invincible as he might think he is with a crown on his arrogant head, Iran and Hezbollah are significant powers, and no one knows the scale of Russia's involvement if Israel were to use 'unconventional' weapons. Netanyahu is venturing into dangerous territories, putting Israel, the U.S., and the world on the brink of catastrophe."
Source: TheDailyStar.net (Bangladesh), August 21, 2024. The original English of the article has been lightly edited for clarity and standardization.
