Update (6:30 PM ET): It has now become abundantly clear that Netanyahu is unconcerned by “pressure” from Western allies the US, UK and Canada, and on Tuesday evening, alarming reports emerged that a preemptive Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites may be imminent. According to CNN:
The United States has received new intelligence suggesting that Israel is preparing to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, even as the Trump administration has sought to reach a diplomatic deal with Tehran, several U.S. officials familiar with the latest intelligence told CNN.
US officials say such an attack would be a blatant departure from President Donald Trump. It could also trigger a wider regional conflict in the Middle East – something the US has sought to avoid since the Gaza war, which escalated tensions in 2023.
The same report emphasizes that no “final decision” has yet been made, and this is perhaps another ploy by the Israelis to show Western countries and the Middle East region that they are serious after the “Israeli 9/11” – the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023.
The headline, which appeared at the end of the day, led to an immediate increase in oil prices…
* * *
The United Kingdom suspended free trade agreement talks with Israel on Tuesday due to the worsening Gaza crisis and after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed disgust at Israel’s expanded military operations in the Gaza Strip, as at least 500,000 Palestinians face starvation.
Starmer described himself and his French and Canadian colleagues as “shocked” by the Netanyahu government’s escalation in Gaza. It comes at a time when international headlines and warnings are becoming increasingly grim. For example, Al Jazeera has this new headline: “Starving Palestinians are being forced to eat animal feed, flour mixed with sand.”
“We reiterate our call for a ceasefire as the only way to free the hostages, we reiterate our opposition to settlements in the West Bank and we reiterate our call for a massive increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Starmer told parliament.
In a joint statement on Monday, the United Kingdom, France and Canada threatened sanctions against Israel. Britain also imposed sanctions against Israeli settler groups and individuals.
Later on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy agreed with Starmer, saying Israel’s actions were “morally wrong” and “unjustifiable.” He also said of the new sanctions: “I have seen firsthand the consequences of settler violence. The terror of its victims. The impunity of its perpetrators.”
In announcing the pause in free trade agreement negotiations, Lammy also revealed that the Israeli ambassador has been summoned. Britain is reportedly demanding the full resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
In response to Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel, Lammy told Parliament:
I think the whole house should be able to condemn the Israeli government’s food deprivation of hungry children. It’s wrong. It’s terrible.
Opposing the expansion of a war that has killed thousands of children is not in Hamas’s interest. Opposing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians is not in Hamas’ interest. On this side of the House, we are crystal clear that what is happening is morally wrong, unjustifiable, and must end.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced an expanded mobilization of troops starting Friday for Operation “Gideon’s Chariots.” It is expected that some two million Palestinians will be forced into a “humanitarian zone” while most of the enclave will be destroyed and razed to the ground.
This policy is somewhat at odds with Trump’s main message during his tour of the Gulf last week, where he emphasized achieving peace through deal-making, rather than the “chaos” that reigns in the war-torn Middle East.
This is probably the greatest pressure Israel has experienced from its Western allies since October 7, 2023. As we previously reported, even Vice President JD Vance abruptly canceled a planned trip to Israel after the Netanyahu government announced plans to intensify operations to capture Gaza.
At the same time, the internal political struggle in Israel has also intensified…
Axios wrote that “a U.S. official said Vance made the decision because he did not want his trip to suggest that the Trump administration supported Israel’s decision to launch a major operation at a time when the U.S. is pushing for a ceasefire and a hostage deal.”
Neither the US nor the UK has, for any reason, completely cut off funding or arms supplies to Israel, and it is unlikely that it will ever get to that point, no matter how tense relations become.
