Biden’s Gaza ceasefire talk ‘political ploy’ to appease voters at home: Activist

By Alireza Hashemi

Joe Biden administration has no real intention of pushing for a ceasefire deal in Gaza, and its verbal support is just a “tease” and a "political ploy" to appease voters ahead of presidential elections in the US, says a US-based lawyer and peace activist.

Dan Kovalik, a human rights lawyer and peace activist, told the Press TV website that the US is "aiding and abetting" the Israeli genocide in the besieged territory by secretly sending arms to it.

The statements about the ceasefire are only meant to woo the US audiences and to get them to vote for the oldest occupant of the Oval Office in the upcoming presidential elections, he asserted.

“The US is aiding and abetting. Now, we know from the Washington Post that Biden has been secretly sending over 100 arms shipments to Israel since October 7, even as he's saying he cares about the civilians. He doesn't care about the civilians,” Kovalik told the Press TV website.

More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in relentless Israeli bombings in Gaza since October 7, almost 14,000 of them children and 9,000 women, with no end in sight to the unbridled aggression.

As the holy month of Ramadan commenced on Monday, Palestinians in the coastal territory continued to grapple with devastating airstrikes and crippling siege that have wreaked havoc in Gaza.

Despite weeks of negotiations involving the US, Qatar, and Egypt, no ceasefire agreement was reached, exposing Palestinians to more violence and bloodshed, backed by the Western countries.

Biden, who has been under blistering criticism for his steadfast support for Israel, has spoken of a need for a ceasefire and a temporary seaport off the Gaza coast to facilitate more aid deliveries.

However, human rights organizations have criticized his announcements as a publicity stunt, urging him to end his unconditional and unwavering support for the Israeli regime.

Kovalik said the US is a party to what he called the "final solution" that Israel had for the blockaded Palestinian territory, which is to "destroy the civilian population of Gaza".

“The US is a party to what I call the final solution that Israel has for Gaza and that's why I don't think you're going to see a ceasefire. They keep teasing that. But it's a tease,” he said.

“It's a political ploy aimed at Western audiences and in particular US audiences to get them to calm down and to stop protesting and to vote for Biden. But there's no intention to help civilians. The goal is to destroy the civilian population of Gaza.”

The US-based lawyer, who has authored several books, said the prospects for a ceasefire appear bleak, as Israel's goal is to "fully carry out the cleansing of the Palestinians from Gaza" and that it did not care about its captives or the humanitarian situation.

“I think the prospects for a ceasefire, certainly in the short to medium-term, are not good,” he said.

“The issue is that Israel wants to fully carry out the cleansing of the Palestinians from Gaza in the name of destroying Hamas.”

He said until the regime does not reach that “goal”, it won’t settle for a ceasefire.

“They don't care about their captives. We know that the Hannibal directive has been ordered,” he said, referring to a procedure used by the Israeli army that troops must stop the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by all means, even at the price of harming their own forces.

Reports say the ceasefire talks are still ongoing. But observers foresee a difficult path ahead, especially since Israel has openly declared that it will keep up attacks on people in Gaza.

According to the UN and humanitarian organizations, Israel's near-total blockade of Gaza since October 7 has prevented most of the essential aid from reaching the 2.4 million population.