For Israeli leaders, saying yes to ceasefire may mean acknowledging they've lost the war

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The inability — or unwillingness — of the U.S. to put pressure on Israel to live up to any deal it signs creates further distrust, says Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the school of security studies at King's College London.

"America looks weak," he said. "Faith and trust in the United States as a mediator and as a guarantor that can actually coerce the Israelis into sticking to a deal they agree on ... has evaporated."

Krieg points out the U.S. warned Israel against attacking the southern city of Rafah, which was packed with civilians who had fled the fighting in other parts of Gaza, but Israel went ahead anyway.

The U.S. has also admitted Israel's military has probably used American-made heavy weapons in attacks on Gaza that have caused heavy civilian casualties, in violation of international law.

"Every single time there's a 'red line' created by Biden, Netanyahu breaches it and he gets away with it," said Krieg. "So there is very little trust that if [Israel] agree to a Phase 1 in this deal, they will get to a Phase 2."

Period	6 Jun 2024
Held at	CBC News, Canada