There are several political leaders who are trying to put an end to the Hamas-Israel War. The problem is, each one has a different solution. Some of the solutions are in direct opposition to others. Let’s look at a few.
Hamas leader Yahyah Sinwar wants the war to end with a cease-fire (permanent) and Israeli withdrawal. That means an Israeli defeat, and it means Hamas remains in control of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to put an end to Hamas control in Gaza (and to have Sinwar dead).
Hezbollah leader Nasrallah says he is going to keep shooting at Israel until Israel withdraws from Gaza. But, so far, he is avoiding anything that might provoke an Israeli ground intervention in Lebanon, The last time there was a direct IDF Hezbollah fight Lebanon suffered most, even though Nasrallah was able to spin the result as a Hezbollah victory to his followers. It seems he really doesn’t want go through that again.
America President Biden wants the conflict to end. He especially does not want it to get bigger. He has an election to win. It seems he’s ready to sacrifice Israeli interests if it means he gets another term in the White House.
The IDF can crush Hezbollah again. But it won’t be as easy a task as defeating Hamas has been (despite all the “humanitarian” distractions). Fighting Hezbollah would probably mean a lot more IDF casualties. It would also mean a MUCH larger number of casualties for Hezbollah (and a very unstable situation in the region, depending upon whether, or how, Iran chooses to respond.
A diplomatic solution seems highly unlikely. The pressure on the Israeli government to go for a military solution (however costly it might be) is getting stronger. I don’t believe Hamas and Hezbollah intransigence will result in anything good for either Palestinians or Lebanese but I’m not the person making the decisions.
Wetherhorn 