Joe Biden
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that US policy towards Israel is contingent on the safety of civilians in Gaza, in his strongest suggestion yet of possible conditions on military aid following an Israeli raid that killed seven relief workers.
In their first contact since the deaths of the employees of the US-based World Central Kitchen group on Monday, Biden also urged for an immediate ceasefire in response to the unacceptable incident and large humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Biden is facing rising pressure in an election year over his backing for Israel’s Gaza conflict, with allies asking him to consider making the billions of dollars in military aid supplied by the United States to its crucial ally each year contingent on Netanyahu listening to calls for restraint.
According to a readout of the call, Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.
“He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps”, the White House said.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby stated that the United States expected action in the coming hours and days including a dramatic boost in aid to Gaza, where the US has warned of looming hunger.
Kirby said that the call stemmed from growing frustration with Netanyahu, but he underlined that the US’s support for Israel’s security was ironclad.
A senior Biden confidant had already urged him to exploit the leverage provided by Washington’s massive military aid to Israel, which Biden has resisted for the past six months.
“I think we’re at that point”, Chris Coons, a Democratic senator from the president’s home state of Delaware.
If Israel launched its long-awaited full-fledged onslaught in the southern city of Rafah, without provisions to protect the 1.5 million people sheltering there, “I would vote to condition aid to Israel”, Coons remarked.
Coons went on to say, “I’ve never said that before, I’ve never been there before”.
Biden is also reportedly under pressure from Jill Biden, First Lady.
“Stop it, stop it now”, the US First Lady warned the president about the mounting toll of civilian casualties in Gaza, according to remarks made by Biden himself to a guest during a meeting with representatives of the Muslim community at the White House.
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