Washington does not want the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to escalate, as that would undermine its “pivot to Asia” strategy. But it doesn’t mind so much when Israel attacks Iran because that serves as a sort of proxy warning to other hostile forces in the Middle East.

The protracted conflict may force the U.S. president to alienate Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to the point of jeopardizing the special relationship, thereby causing powerful Jewish voters and lobbies to withdraw their support. Other traditional Democratic constituencies, such as Muslim-Americans, may follow suit.

The youth will be crucial for President Joe Biden’s bid for re-election, as it was in 2020. But Biden’s continued support for Israel is cooling their ardor. To make matters worse, support for Biden among Muslim-Americans — a key voting bloc in some swing states — has taken a nosedive.

The latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict has lasted four and a half months since its outbreak in October and resulted in nearly 30,000 Palestinian deaths, the destruction of nearly all infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and more than 2 million people left homeless, as well as a severe shortage of food, drinking water and medicine. The humanitarian disaster is intensifying with each passing day.

A New Cold War is not in the interest of either the U.S. or China, particularly given the volatility in the Middle East. In fact, the two nations share common interests in the region, and the threat of widespread conflict should inspire an element of strategic sobriety and tactical cooperation.

The role of the U.S. and China is pivotal in shaping the potential outcomes of the Israel-Gaza conflict, and while China already supports more balanced developments, Washington should take notes and implement a diplomatic solution that considers the needs of all peoples and communities.

Direct military engagement by the United States and UK against Houthi forces in Yemen is not helping to resolve the crisis. It only encourages the Houthis to dig in deeper in support of the Palestinians against Israel. Resolution of the conflict in Gaza will have a positive effect on the Houthis.

The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict has dragged the Israeli-Palestinian issue back to center stage in the Middle East. While China played a positive role in getting Iran and Saudi Arabia to the negotiating table, the violence in Gaza could influence the election prospects of U.S. President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

False images cannot obscure the truth for long. Eventually, the truth comes out for the world to see. The humanitarian disaster in Palestine will not go away until Israel and the United States change their policies and turn the only viable alternative — a two-state solution — into reality.