With US power declining in the Middle East region and Israel’s critical situation in Gaza war, it seems Washington intends to revive ISIS to kill two birds with one stone and save both Israel and itself.
There is no doubt that the US dominance in the Middle East is declining, and this is evident both in regard to US soft and hard power. The United States no longer has its former military presence in the region, and after the withdrawal of the country’s army from Afghanistan, there are now whispers of the complete withdrawal of the US military from Iraq as well. Recently, a report from the cradle revealed that although Washington has military bases in many countries of the Middle East region, these countries, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, no longer allow US to use them as before.
This is mostly because of the divergence of interests between the United States and these countries, and the fact that the enemies of the United States in the region are not necessarily the enemies of countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
On the other hand, countries of the region are getting closer to America’s rivals, namely China and Russia, and for these reasons, it is believed that such a situation may lead to the reduction of America’s military power and effectiveness in the Middle East.
Along with this, the components of the US soft power, including its ability to mediate in regional crises and the level of its international credibility have reached their lowest levels. Instead, China is rapidly filling this void in the region, and mediation in resolving the historical disputes between Iran and Saudi Arabia was the starting point of this process by China.
Gaza war, another chance for the US that was lost!
The Gaza crisis gave Washington another opportunity to expand its presence in the region so that it can regain its position as a reliable power by mediating in ending the war between Israel and Hamas. But the Biden administration’s unconventional support for Israel from the start of the conflict, as well as Netanyahu’s extremist government and his emphasis on the continuation of the war until annihilation of Hamas, ruined every Washington’s plan. The entry of the Houthis into the battle and their serious threat to international trade, made the situation even worse for the US, forcing the country to turn to military attacks against Yemen.
The US has also lost the credibility to get the consent of the countries of the region where it has military bases to carry out its attacks and military maneuvers.
In such a situation, it seems that decision-makers in the United States intend to remove Netanyahu from the power to get rid of the disobedience of the current Israeli Prime Minister and continue their game to restore the US position in the region. this is what various think tanks have been talking about since October 7.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, various think tanks have also been elaborating on the possibility of Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, replacing Netanyahu, and what has happened recently is proof of the claim that Washington is also interested in this scenario.
Times of Israel reported on Saturday that Gantz is scheduled to travel to Washington on Sunday, March 2, without informing the Netanyahu government. “This trip, without coordination and permission from government, will undoubtedly increase the tension between Gantz and Netanyahu,” the report said.
Reacting to the news, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement condemning the trip and asserting that “the government has only one prime minister,” adding that “the trip was organized without the approval of the prime minister and contrary to government regulations that require every minister to coordinate his foreign trips with the prime minister in advance.”
This trip and the US willingness to accept Netanyahu’s rival and main opponent in Washington can be a valid reason to accept the idea that Washington plans to bring Gantz to power in Israel to take Netanyahu’s place.
The results of recent polls conducted inside Israel also suggest that if early elections were held in Israel, Gantz and his party would have a very high chance of electing and replacing the current government in Israel.
But the US main plan to get itself and Israel out of this critical situation in the region is the revival of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. After all, many analysts believe that ISIS was in fact created by the United States in order to grant Israel’s security by weakening Iran’s neighboring countries, i.e. Syria and Iraq.
