Biden’s warning came in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, following a deadly Israeli attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers that prompted calls from US Democrats for conditions on US aid to Israel. Israel insists the attack was carried out in error.
US President Joe Biden, a longtime supporter of Israel, has resisted some pressure to cut aid or halt arms shipments to the country. His latest warnings mark the first time he has threatened to place conditions on aid packages, a development that could change the course of the nearly six-month-old war.
In a statement about Mr. Biden’s call, the White House said he “made very clear that Israel needs to declare and take a series of specific, clear, and actionable steps to address civilian harm, the humanitarian disaster, and the safety of health workers.” They also said the call lasted about 30 minutes.
In a statement, the White House said the president “made clear that US policy around Gaza will be determined based on our assessment of Israel’s initial actions around these steps.”
Washington is Israel's largest arms supplier and the Biden administration has regularly provided a diplomatic shield for the country at the United Nations.
In a briefing following the call, White House spokesman John Kirby declined to discuss further changes the US might make around Israel and Gaza.
Washington expects a statement from Israel on the steps in the “coming hours and days,” he said.
Asked about possible US policy changes, Netanyahu spokesman Tal Heinrich said: “I believe these are things that Washington has to explain.”
On Monday, Israel carried out an attack that killed seven aid workers for World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres. In an interview on Wednesday with Reuters, Andres said Israeli forces had attacked his workers “systematically, vehicle by vehicle.”
Israel vowed on Thursday to change its tactics in the Gaza war after describing the attack as a result of mistargeting and said the findings of an investigation would soon be made public.
The White House said Mr. Biden was outraged and pained to learn of the attack, but before making the call on Thursday, he had made no change to Washington’s stance, which has steadfastly supported Israel in its conflict with Hamas.
During the call, Mr. Biden “underlined the need for an immediate ceasefire agreement that is critical to stabilizing and improving the humanitarian situation and protecting innocent civilians.” Mr. Biden urged Mr. Netanyahu to push his negotiators to reach an agreement and release hostages held by Hamas in the October 7 attack.
In Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel “needs to seize the opportunity” to step up humanitarian assistance and ensure the security of individuals and organizations providing humanitarian aid.
“If we don't see the changes we want, we will change policy.”
"The last straw"
Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.
Israel responded by completely besieging Gaza, carrying out air and ground attacks that have killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.
Mr Biden, a self-described Zionist, was fiercely pro-Israel in the early days of the war.
But as the death toll in Gaza mounted and the war spread, with front lines emerging in Lebanon and Yemen, his administration began pushing for a ceasefire and stepped up humanitarian aid. Last month, the United States abstained from a UN Security Council vote demanding an immediate ceasefire, a decision that angered Israel.
Mr. Biden has also faced strong anger from Democrats over his decisions surrounding the war in Gaza, a development that could hurt his support in the presidential election this November when he faces former Republican President Donald Trump.
The attack on WCK aid workers was “the last straw,” said Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East analyst at Johns Hopkins University.
“This call was the ‘wake-up call’ that Mr. Biden has long promised to send to Netanyahu,” Mr. Blumenfeld said.
Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)
Source
Comment (0)