US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel and the Middle East on Monday, shortly after Benny Gantz, an opposition leader who is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, has left the government. This coincidence is seen by right-wing critics as evidence of cooperation between Gantz and President Joe Biden’s administration to oust the Netanyahu government amidst a war.
The Biden administration is suspected of backing a “color revolution” — an attempt to use pressure from opposition parties, civil society, and the media to force new elections that will remove a government opposed to U.S. policies. Netanyahu has long opposed U.S. efforts to renew a weak deal on Iran’s nuclear program and has rejected Biden’s efforts to impose a Palestinian state as an outcome of the war. Israelis broadly support Netanyahu’s positions.
Gantz left the national unity government Monday after joining it following the October 7 Hamas terror attack. He said that Netanyahu cannot win the war. However, Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition remains solid and unaffected.
Officially, Blinken is in the Middle East to promote a US proposal for a hostage deal with Hamas that could lead to an indefinite “temporary” ceasefire. President Joe Biden described it as an “Israeli” proposal, but Israel disputes that claim. It is unclear why Blinken would need to convince Israel to accept a proposal claimed to be its own idea. Blinken will also visit Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar to push for the deal, which the administration hopes will lead to broader peace.
Blinken’s visit coincides with the same day that the U.S. will introduce a non-binding resolution at the United Nations Security Council calling for Hamas and Israel to accept the deal.
As critics have noted, the deal calls for full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza before all hostages are released, removing military pressure on Hamas. The deal also does not call for Hamas to be disarmed or prevent its return to power. Blinken is also reportedly going to try and discourage a broader war as Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists continue to fire at northern Israel, leading Israel to prepare for conflict.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT. He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.