March 21, 2025
TOKYO – Another major offensive has begun in the Middle East, and Russia declined to endorse a full ceasefire in Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump’s diplomacy based on deals has apparently stalled.
The Israeli military has resumed bombing the Palestinian territory of Gaza. The largest-scale attack since the start of a ceasefire with the Islamist group Hamas in January killed more than 400 people, including many children and women.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the attack was carried out because Hamas refused to release hostages, indicating that Israel would continue the military operation.
Killing large numbers of civilians just because negotiations for the release of hostages are running into difficulties is an outrage that goes beyond the exercise of the right of self-defense. This is unacceptable.
If this continues, it is inevitable that Gaza will revert to a battlefield and even more lives will be lost. It is quite natural that France and other countries condemned the attack by Israel for defying the ceasefire agreement at a U.N. Security Council meeting.
Nevertheless, the United States defended Israel at the meeting. Israel reportedly informed Washington in advance about the airstrikes. It cannot be helped if Trump’s administration is seen as approving indiscriminate attacks.
The Gaza ceasefire was achieved just before Trump took office as he put pressure on Israel. However, in his haste to achieve results, Trump shelved difficult issues such as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
If the United States continues to take an extreme pro-Israel stance, a permanent peace can never be achieved.
The United States’ diplomatic mediation regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is also not progressing as Trump hoped.
Trump had telephone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who agreed to suspend Russian attacks on energy facilities in Ukraine for 30 days. However, Putin refused to accept a full and immediate 30-day ceasefire that Trump sought.
Prior to the talks, the United States had obtained Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s agreement to a full 30-day ceasefire, but Washington was unable to persuade Moscow.
As the Russian military has gained the upper hand such as by expanding the areas it occupies in eastern Ukraine, Putin appears to be in no hurry for a ceasefire. It is believed that Putin is trying to extract more concessions from the United States and Ukraine by prolonging negotiations with Trump.
To prevent Russia from seizing the initiative, it is essential for Washington not to negotiate alone with Moscow, but to restore relations with Europe and cooperate with more countries to put pressure on Russia.