Washington: US President Joe Biden issued an ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday: protect Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza or in Washington, who can support Israel in its fight against the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
After several months of calls to the US to change military tactics that have killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians, the news that followed the Israeli attack that killed seven aides of the World Central Kitchen (WCC) and sparked global outrage.
Israel has admitted that the strike, which targeted WCC convoys three times, was a mistake.
White did not say exactly what steps Netanyahu wants to take or what he would do otherwise. Analysts say the obvious threats are to delay US arms shipments to Israel or reduce US support at the United Nations.
“That’s how close you are to Jesus,” said Stephen Cook, an analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations. Referring to Biden’s comments last month and Netanyahu leading to such a tipping point.
“I don’t have a choice whether the president meets these humanitarian needs or provides (military) aid,” said Dennis Ross, a veteran diplomat at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Biden, who is up for re-election in November, has struggled to build pressure on Netanyahu from progressive Democrats who fear the death of Palestinian civilians against threats that could alienate independent pro-Israel voters. He has so far refused to address the arms transfer issue.
The war in Gaza has destroyed much of the population and displaced many of its 2.3 million lives.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 33,000 Palestinians were killed, many of them women and children.
Making the call, White said Biden urged Israel to “announce and take specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian casualties, humanitarian abuses and the safety of aid workers.”
“US policy on Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate response to this step,” the White House said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was more blunt.
Hours after the call Thursday evening, the Israeli government announced several steps to increase the flow of aid to Gaza, including opening the ports of Ashdod and Erez across northern Gaza and increasing aid from Jordan. It is not clear whether these steps are sufficient to satisfy US demands.
