Wed Mar 19 20:58:29 UTC 2025: ## US Support for Israel Fuels Intensified Gaza Conflict
**JERUSALEM/UNITED NATIONS** – Israel’s renewed bombing of Gaza has drawn widespread international condemnation, but the United States’ unwavering support is emboldening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to escalate the conflict. A UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday saw only the US backing Israel’s air strikes. This staunch American support, analysts say, is directly linked to President Donald Trump’s influence.
Netanyahu has declared that negotiations with Hamas will only proceed “under fire,” a statement reflecting his assertive stance bolstered by the US backing. The reappointment of Itamar Ben-Gvir as Israel’s national security minister further solidifies Netanyahu’s hardline government.
The escalation leaves mediators and Hamas in a precarious position. Experts, including Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group, Danilo Della Valle, a member of the European Parliament, and Yousef Munayyer of the Arab Center Washington DC, express deep concern over the lack of international pressure and the potential for further violence. The international community’s fractured response, with the US standing alone in its support of Israel’s actions, raises serious questions about the prospects for peace and the future of the conflict.
First Piper 