- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s first visit to Washington since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023.
- Talks to focus on the Gaza crisis, Israeli military needs, and U.S. efforts to prevent a full-scale assault on Rafah.
- The U.S. seeks to balance support for Israel with humanitarian concerns in Gaza, leveraging aid and weapons negotiations.
As Gaza’s humanitarian disasters worsen by the hour and the world anticipates a full-scale Israeli assault on Rafah, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will come to Washington on March 24. This will be Gallant’s first visit to the U.S. capital since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023. Gallant will meet with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary Lloyd Austin.
On top of discussing the situation in Rafah and requesting a laundry list of American weapons, Gallant and U.S. officials are expected to address the “day after” in Gaza. This visit will be important to Washington’s efforts to better understand Israel’s plans for dealing with new realities in Gaza caused by the past nearly six months of warfare in the besieged enclave that followed the Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel.
It is no secret that the Biden administration and the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not been on the same page concerning certain issues surrounding the Gaza war. This visit is aimed at fostering more understanding between the leadership in the U.S. and Israel.
While Gallant is visiting Austin and other high-ranking officials in Washington, the U.S. side will push for the Israeli military to cooperate with plans for a floating dock that President Joe Biden spoke about in his March 2024 State of the Union address. Mindful of the fact that such cooperation on Israel’s part is necessary for the temporary offshore pier to function, securing Tel Aviv’s commitment to supporting, or at least not undermining, this U.S. plan is key.
It is no secret that the Biden administration and Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not been on the same page with respect to certain issues surrounding the Gaza war. This visit is aimed at fostering more understanding between the leadership in the U.S. and Israel.
The Biden administration wants to appear to be taking steps aimed at sparing Gaza from higher levels of food insecurity, particularly as Washington’s image in the eyes of the Arab-Islamic world and greater Global South continues deteriorating as the U.S.-supported Israeli war on Gaza comes close to entering its sixth month.
A main talking point that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will make while speaking with Gallant is that an Israeli invasion of Rafah will cause Israel to suffer major strategic losses, especially in the global opinion of Israel. Austin and other U.S. officials could use such leverage to pressure the Israelis into abandoning plans for a full-fledged invasion of Rafah. Yet whether the Biden team would ever do so is a political question.
Austin’s quest is to convince top Israeli officials that what they believe is essential for their security is not only not essential, but also extremely harmful to Israel’s long-term security interests. U.S. officials are keenly aware that successfully convincing Gallant and the rest of Israel’s leadership that this is the case will prove extremely challenging.
With Gallant wanting to leave Washington with certain U.S. weapons and assurances, the Biden administration has enormous amounts of leverage vis-à-vis the situation in Rafah, as well as Gaza more broadly.
Austin and other high-ranking U.S. officials could use such leverage to pressure the Israelis into abandoning plans for a full-fledged invasion of Rafah. Yet whether the Biden team would do so is a question that pertains to politics.