The United States and Israel struggle with conflicting visions of ending the Gaza war
Near the end of a whirlwind trip to the Middle East this week, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken finished meetings with the Israeli president and relatives of American hostages held by Hamas, left his beach hotel in Tel Aviv and shook hands with protesters gathered outside.He looked them in the eye and said there was a new ceasefire agreement on the table for the hostages that Hamas would have to take.“Bringing your loved ones home is at the heart of everything we are trying to do, and we will not rest until everyone – men, women, soldiers, civilians, young, old – has come home,” he said.That public display of empathy toward frustrated protesters is something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has avoided since the war began in October. And, of late, he has focused his recent public com...