U.S. FAVORS MORE ESCALATION IN UKRAINE, GAZA

The United States continues to prolong the conflict in Ukraine and support the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip, with recent reports suggesting that Washington is about to play a more dangerous role in both areas. In Ukraine, the U.S. wants to provoke Russia further by allowing the Kiev regime to use American-made weapons, like the ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, in strikes on Russian territory. On May 22, The New York Times reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in favor of the dangerous plan. The State Department began a “vigorous debate” inside President Joe Biden’s administration on this plan after Blinken’s two-day visit to Ukraine’s capital, which took place only days after Russia launched the new offensive in the Kharkiv region. The plan would include permitting strikes against Russian military facilities but perhaps not oil refineries and other infrastructure that Ukraine has been attacking using rockets and drones. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hinted on May 20 that the U.S. could allow Kiev forces to use American-made air defense systems against aerial targets over Russia. The United Kingdom has already said that it does not oppose Ukraine using British-supplied arms, which include Storm Shadow missiles, to strike Russian soil. In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with British weapons, any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and abroad could be targeted. Meanwhile in Gaza, the Biden administration is reportedly preparing to facilitate a lasting Israeli occupation of the Strip postwar. According to a report published by Politico on May 23, the U.S. expects to play a prominent role in Gaza once Israel’s war against Hamas has concluded but is still working to define exactly what this would look like. One option being considered is to appoint a U.S. official to serve as a “civilian adviser” to a Palestinian peacekeeping force. According to the report, the U.S. is also working to persuade Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates to join the force, should it be formed. The U.S. adviser would not be located in Gaza itself, unnamed officials told Politico, as the Biden administration is not keen to be seen as responsible for the day-to-day running of the Palestinian enclave. The report mentions nothing about the withdrawal of Israeli forces currently occupying a corridor in the center of Gaza and advancing in Rafah along the Strip’s border with Egypt. All in all, the U.S. appears to be preparing to double down on support for its allies in Ukraine and Israel, despite the fact that they have both failed to make any significant achievements. The plans to escalate the conflict in Ukraine and help Israel solidify its occupation in Gaza will lead to dangerous tensions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.