Middle East & Africa | Gaza and its reverberations

America’s shuttle diplomacy to wind down the war in Gaza

And maybe to bring a lasting peace, too

Collage featuring Joe Biden, Muhammad bin Salman, Binyamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar.
Illustration: Klawe Rzeczy
|DUBAI, JERUSALEM AND WASHINGTON, DC

Massacre, rape, war, hunger, disease, regional escalation, disruption of global trade: the Middle East is living through apocalyptic times. But after death and hell, might peace come? To hear American officials talk about the four-month war between Israel and Hamas, and its reverberations that claimed the lives of three American soldiers in Jordan on January 28th, there is a modest but growing chance of turning catastrophe into opportunity. President Joe Biden’s administration is working hard to bring it about, with senior figures shuttling between Washington, European and Middle Eastern capitals.

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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The new shuttle diplomacy”

From the February 3rd 2024 edition

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