Biden’s departure complicates situation in Middle East, ‘America is paralyzed’

Tensions in the Middle East have reached a new boiling point, not only between Israel and Hamas, but also between Iran and Lebanon. Meanwhile, US President Biden has been politically written off after appointing Harris as his successor, says Middle East expert Martin van den Berg. “The person who should confirm the raise is politically written into the White House.”

According to Middle East expert van den Bergh, Biden’s position is very difficult with the upcoming power transition in Washington. ‘You can achieve a lot in the first two years of a presidential term, but it becomes more difficult in the final months.’ So he expects Americans to exercise caution in the November elections.

“Fortunately, a lot of politics is still driven by Foreign Minister Blinken, and they are militarily prepared in case something goes wrong,” van den Berg says. But ultimately the US fully supports Israel, which means further expansion in the short term. However, in the long run, only they can bring order out of chaos.’

Other mediators

Correspondent Tara Kenquis agrees. “You’ve seen a comfortable role for Qatar in recent months, but they don’t have much power to bring the two sides back together.”

At the same time, China has proven itself diplomatically. “China was able to bring together the Palestinian factions and Iran and Saudi Arabia,” says Kenquis. “However, the key role still rests with the White House, which cannot take many steps at this time.”

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