Why US has limited leverage over Israel in war

+ attitudes toward drone strikes; losing faith in democracy? US Edition - Today's top story: Could Biden stop Netanyahu's plans? A national security expert looks at Israel's attack on Rafah [View in browser]( US Edition | 9 May 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Shortly before 1 p.m. Monday, The Associated Press issued a brief story that began, “The Hamas militant group says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal to halt seven-month war with Israel.” It was bombshell news, almost unbelievable. But The Associated Press is one of the great, respected institutions of the news business, reliable and accurate. So the question for us at The Conversation – and I imagine every other news organization on the planet – wasn’t whether the news was true but what it meant. Hamas had accepted a cease-fire proposal, but what about Israel? Was this the beginning of the end of the war in Gaza? By the time politics editor Amy Lieberman got to interview USC Dornsife national security scholar Greg Treverton about the news, it had begun to get fleshed out. Hamas had accepted a cease-fire proposal, but Israel had not. Moreover, the story was getting overshadowed by another development in the Gaza conflict: U.S. President Joe Biden was reported to have placed a hold on the shipment of bombs to Israel. That move reflected Biden’s anger that Israel, despite being warned by the U.S. not to, had begun military action in Rafah. Treverton, who chaired the National Intelligence Council under the Obama administration, offers a historical perspective on how much leverage the U.S. really has over Israel. “[There have been many U.S. presidents and secretaries of state who have been frustrated with Israel]( over something, going back to at least the 1973 war between Israel and a coalition of Arab countries,” Treverton said. “Other presidents have been in the position of saying, ‘Do this,’ and the Israeli comeback is always, ‘Not quite yet.’ So this episode, while very blatant, is hardly unique.” Also in this week’s politics news: - [How to evaluate a conspiracy theory]( - [War games in the South China Sea]( - [Political polarization may decline in years ahead]( Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Democracy Palestinians crowd a street as smoke billows from Israeli strikes in Rafah on May 7, 2024. AFP via Getty Images [Could Biden stop Netanyahu’s plans? A national security expert looks at Israel’s attack on Rafah]( Gregory F. Treverton, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences The US put a pause on an arms shipment to Israel as it launched a Rafah offensive. This is not the first time the US and Israel have publicly disagreed, despite their strong diplomatic relationship. What’s the future of democracy in the U.S.? Richard Sharrocks/Moment/Getty [Supporting ‘democracy’ is hard for many who feel government and the economy are failing them]( Matthew Wilson, University of South Carolina One-third of Americans think that “rule by a strong leader or the military would be a good way of governing their country.” Are they losing faith in democracy? The men’s dormitory at a new center for asylum-seekers in Portland, Maine. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images [Many immigrants to the US are fleeing violence and persecution − here’s how the federal government can help cities absorb them]( Karen Jacobsen, Tufts University People who enter the US as refugees or with asylum generally adapt quickly and become productive members of society. But cities need help getting them settled and employed. [US drone warfare faces questions of legitimacy, study of military chaplains shows]( Paul Lushenko, US Army War College; Keith L. Carter, US Naval War College The use of drone strikes raises a host of ethical issues. US military chaplains − the armed forces’ moral conscience − have questions. [What Shakespeare can teach us about racism]( David Sterling Brown, Trinity College Considered the greatest writer in English literature, William Shakespeare illustrates views on race and whiteness throughout all of his dramatic works. [Trump promises to deport all undocumented immigrants, resurrecting a 1950s strategy − but it didn’t work then and is less likely to do so now]( Katrina Burgess, Tufts University Donald Trump says he will authorize a roundup of all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. A 1950s program with similar goals, called Operation Wetback, offers lessons. [Justice Sotomayor’s health isn’t the real problem for Democrats − winning elections is]( Kevin J. McMahon, Trinity College When it comes to the Supreme Court, progressives are now in the position where conservatives found themselves for many years. They’re on the outside looking in. - [Divesting university endowments: Easier demanded than done]( Todd L. Ely, University of Colorado Denver Divestment from Israel may violate state laws – at least for public institutions. Private universities with large endowments may face other obstacles. - [Media coverage of campus protests tends to focus on the spectacle, rather than the substance]( Danielle K. Brown, Michigan State University Analysis shows news stories on pro-Palestinian demonstrations at US universities spiked when they involved clashes. - [Voting in unconstitutional districts: US Supreme Court upended decades of precedent in 2022 by allowing voters to vote with gerrymandered maps instead of fixing the congressional districts first]( Sam D. Hayes, Trinity College Historically, federal courts prioritized voting rights and legal congressional districts for upcoming elections above all other concerns. But the Supreme Court changed that in 2022. - [Why some people receiving federal benefits don’t consider themselves poor − even though poverty rates have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic]( Sherri Lawson Clark, Wake Forest University Eliminating poverty has not been a major campaign issue during the 2024 presidential campaign. - [A look inside the cyberwar between Israel and Hamas reveals the civilian toll]( Ryan Shandler, Georgia Institute of Technology; Daphna Canetti, University of Haifa; Tal Mimran, Zefat Academic College The consequences of cyber conflict are primarily felt by civilians, who call for retaliation, fueling cycles of violence. - [What early 2024 polls are revealing about voters of color and the GOP − and it’s not all about Donald Trump]( - [5 books to help you better understand today’s campus protests]( - [How to tell if a conspiracy theory is probably false]( - [War games risk stirring up troubled waters as Philippines − emboldened by US − squares up to Beijing at sea]( - [Polarization may phase out of American politics as younger generations shift into power]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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