From the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal, this is Potomac Watch.

It's a new Middle East, or at least it was supposed to be, after Israel's successful war against Iran and the U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear sites. But six weeks later, old tensions are rising

again, and Israel is facing new international pressure over its continuing war in Gaza and the

humanitarian crisis there. What's next for Israel and the U.S. in the Middle East? That is our subject for today

on Potomac Watch. I'm Paul as you go with the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal,

and I'm here with a member of the editorial board, Elliot Kaufman. Let's start with Gaza. Steve Whitkoff,

the U.S. envoy, President Trump's envoy, left the region recently frustrated

that there was no deal saying Hamas just doesn't seem to want a ceasefire deal with Israel

that would release the hostages and at least have some stop to the fighting.

What explains this continuing Hamas resistance, which, if anything, has

gotten more strident in recent weeks? Well, first, I think you are right to frame this in the backdrop

of the war with Iran, because when I talk to senior Israeli political officials, they are immensely frustrated

right now. They say, we just took out Iran's nuclear program. We have talked about this for 20 years

as our country's number one priority. And all we hear is, what have you done for us lately? Because they are sort of

stuck in the mire in Gaza. And Hamas does not want a deal. And so when it is said, Israel should

just get out, cut a deal, free the hostages, disarm Hamas. They would love to do just that. But that deal is not available for them.

Because Hamas will not cooperate. Hamas will not cooperate. And they had made progress. Whitkoff went to the region hoping previously to close it out himself.

But the circumstances changed. As Israel has long known,

a humanitarian crisis in Gaza equals a Hamas victory, not an Israeli victory. And so the idea has

always been, you can't allow starvation to take hold. That's how Hamas wins. Hamas has

encouraged the crisis in various ways, but once that becomes the dominant international narrative,

both in the media and from Western states even, it becomes all pressure on Israel, no pressure on Hamas,

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