TEHRAN- The United States goes through an endless game of charades every time calls grow for clinching a deal to end Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip.

The latest trip of the top American diplomat to the region is in line with Washington’s classic tactic of deflection.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli officials including President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday with the purported aim of facilitating a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. 

But he is in fact trying to divert attention away from Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and his country’s complicity in the nearly 11-month conflict which has claimed the lives of more than 40,100 Palestinian people.  

Speaking to Herzog during his ninth trip to the region since Israel declared war on Gaza on October 7, Blinken said now is "probably the best, maybe the last opportunity" to secure a ceasefire and captive release deal in Gaza.

The top US diplomat also told the Israeli president, "We're working to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way could move us away from getting this deal over the line, or, for that matter, escalating the conflict to other places, and to greater intensity.” 

Blinken also spoke with Netanyahu for about three hours after meeting Herzog. Netanyahu’s office described the talks as “positive”. 

Inconclusive negotiations 

Talks over a ceasefire in Gaza resumed in the Qatari capital last week. The two-day negotiations that ended on Friday remained inconclusive. But mediators, namely the US, Qatar and Egypt have announced that senior officials from the three countries will meet in Cairo this week to continue the Doha talks and hash details for a truce agreement. 

The Biden administration’s kowtow to Israel’s excessive demands amounts to deviating from the principles of its own Gaza ceasefire plan that was approved by the UN Security Council in June. The White House has expressed optimism about a deal. But Israel’s excessive demands have hampered ceasefire efforts.

Hamas wants mediators to discuss a ceasefire plan based upon a proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden on May 31. On June 10, the UN Security Council passed a US resolution backing Biden's Gaza ceasefire plan.

But Netanyahu, known as Bibi, has set new conditions which include continued Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Corridor separating Egypt’s Sinai from the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of checkpoints to monitor the movement of Palestinians from the south of the territory to the north. 

Hamas said on Sunday that Netanyahu is putting "obstacles" in the way of an agreement and "setting new conditions and demands" with the aim of "prolonging the war".

The resistance movement also accused the United States of adopting all of Israel’s demands in its proposal, and none from its side.

 “What happened in the last meeting is that the US administration presented a proposal that includes everything Netanyahu wants,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told The Washington Post.

Netanyahu’s obstructionism comes amid growing calls for reaching a deal with Hamas and returning the remaining captives held in Gaza. 

Lapid: Bibi abandoned captives 

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has demanded that Netanyahu not miss the opportunity of signing a deal with Hamas which could secure the release of captives. 

"When the US Secretary of State says this morning (Monday morning), 'maybe this is the last chance for a deal', this is an appeal to Netanyahu: don't miss this opportunity, you abandoned them, it's your duty to return them. If they don't come back, we can't heal," Lapid wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

His call comes against the backdrop of protests in Israel against the continuation of the Gaza war. Israeli protesters want a ceasefire, the return of captives, Netanyahu’s resignation and early elections. 

A deal agreed in November last year saw Hamas release 105 of the captives in return for a week-long ceasefire and the freeing of some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. 

They were among about 250 Israelis and foreigners who were taken captive during a surprise military operation carried out by Hamas on October 7 which was followed by the regime’s brutal war on Gaza. More than 1,100 people were also killed during the Hamas’ operation dubbed Al-Aqsa Storm. 

Israel says 111 captives are still being held in Gaza, 39 of whom are presumed dead. Most of them have been killed during Israeli strikes on Gaza. 

US appeasing Israel 

The US is by far the biggest supplier of arms to Israel. Washington has provided Tel Aviv with unwavering military support since the start of the Gaza war. 

A week earlier, Blinken approved another $20 billion in weapons transfers to Israel, which sparked condemnation amid the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza. 

If the US wanted Israel to end the Gaza war it could withhold weapons as a leverage. The White House could also exert pressure on Israel through the UN Security Council if it was seriously interested in ending the onslaught. 

Facts on the ground show that Israel is derailing talks by changing the goalposts through making new demands and shifting the blame on Hamas. 

The US also caves in to Israel's shifting goalposts and deviates from the principles of America’s own resolution that was approved by the UN Security Council in June.