Feb 14 • 18:10 UTC 🇶🇦 Qatar Al Jazeera

Does the tension between America and Iran give Israel cover to reshape the West Bank and Gaza?

Israel is intensifying its policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank amid U.S.-Iran negotiations that oscillate between diplomacy and war threats.

Israel is currently escalating its political maneuvers in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank while the United States and Iran engage in a complex negotiation process characterized by contradicting aspects of diplomacy and military tension. According to Israeli affairs expert Mohannad Mustafa, Israel has shifted its strategy from using military force merely as a tool for political ends to viewing war itself as a strategic objective. He argues that the Israeli government is actively trying to thwart any potential agreements regarding either Iran or Gaza while solidifying its military and settlement control in the West Bank.

Mustafa's comments emphasize a belief that Israel is treating the issues in Gaza, the West Bank, and Iran as interconnected fronts, with war seen as the only viable option moving forward. This perspective suggests a significant shift in how Israel approaches its strategy in the region, abandoning diplomatic avenues in favor of aggression. The expert notes that Israel is imposing "impossible conditions" on U.S.-Iran negotiations, broadening the discussion from nuclear issues to ballistic missiles and Tehran's regional proxies, fully aware that Iran is unlikely to accept such terms.

Ultimately, these conditions appear not to aim for a constructive agreement but rather to limit the available options for Iran, thereby consolidating Israel's strategic positioning in the region. With this ongoing dynamic, the potential for peace negotiations seems increasingly bleak as Israel continues to reinforce its military stance and settlement activities, using the tensions with Iran as a backdrop for its actions in the Palestinian territories.

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