Dr. Shahram Akbarzadeh, professor of Middle East Politics at Deakin University:
“Israel has been non-compliant with international law in relation to settlements in the West Bank and has ignored US calls for restraint in the past. It will not start listening to Washington now.
As elections in the US near, the Biden administration worries that his unconditional support for Israel could drive away many voters, especially young voters. So, taking issue with illegal settlement activity is a safe way to try and balance that view. To suggest to the domestic audience that Washington is not beholden to the pro-Israel lobby.
The professor is confident that Biden’s order will make the US position vis-à-vis Israel “more complicated” but won’t reduce its support for Israel nor drop its defense of Tel Aviv at the UN. “This presidential decree reflects an acknowledgment of the extent of Israel’s intransigence and the impossibility of the Palestinian plight. But it does not mean a realignment of interests and loyalties."
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