A Ceasefire Will Not End the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Dec 9, 2023
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Also published in National Interest
About the Authors
David Schenker
David Schenker

David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics. He is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

Articles & Testimony

A bad peace that does not address the wider issue of Hamas violence would only defer the war to a later date.

The Biden administration is taking a beating at home and abroad for its stance on the Gaza war. In the aftermath of the brutal October 7 Hamas attack, however, Washington recognizes—in the words of Secretary of State Antony Blinken—there cannot be “a reversion to the status quo.” Going forward, the challenge for Washington will be to sustain its support for Israeli military operations while preventing a regional war, avoiding diplomatic isolation, and further stressing regional partnerships. Squaring this circle will be no mean feat. In early November, France, which initially backed Israel’s campaign, called for a ceasefire. Yesterday, only the United States voted against a ceasefire resolution in the UN Security Council, with the United Kingdom abstaining. While the situation today in Gaza is unprecedented, Washington has faced similar diplomatic challenges. In many ways, the U.S. position in the current crisis resembles what occurred during the 2006 war between Israel and another Iran-backed proxy, Lebanese Hezbollah...

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