Aaron David Miller is a Middle East expert for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) in Washington, D.C. employed. Between 1978 and 2003, Miller worked as an analyst and advisor to several Republican and Democratic secretaries of state in the State Department.

Mr. Miller, US President Biden has said publicly several times that he expects a ceasefire within a few days. Nothing happened after that. Why is that?

We have exaggerated ideas about what any external actor can achieve in the Middle East – whether it is the United States, France, Germany or the United Nations. We are experiencing an existential conflict in the Middle East. The development depends on the politics, strategy and tactics of the two participants in the war, Israel and Hamas. Even after more than half a year of war, there is still no willingness for a ceasefire.

What could bring about this willingness?

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