Yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Turkey to begin a series of meetings intended to prevent further escalation of the current conflicts in the Middle East. (And what could possibly go wrong if we have Winkin’ Tony Blinken on the job, right?) Meanwhile, officials in Israel seem to be sensing that Joe Biden’s resolve to continue supporting our ally is weakening in the face of political headwinds from the left. Perhaps as a result, the Israeli Defense Minister proposed a series of steps to be taken to return Gaza to some semblance of functionality after Hamas has been removed. Critics were quick to jump on the proposals, saying that they lack specificity and urgency. So how will Israel “fix” Gaza without “occupying” it? (The Guardian)
Israeli officials are scrambling to head off mounting frustration in Washington in the run-up a potentially difficult…
