President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza. “We’ll see what he does in terms of meeting the commitments that he made to me,” Biden said at the White House.
Quick Read
- Biden’s Stance on Gaza Aid: President Joe Biden emphasized that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to do more to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza, highlighting commitments made during their recent discussions.
- Increasing Aid Flow: Biden acknowledged an increase in aid trucks entering Gaza following his conversation with Netanyahu but advocated for additional access points, particularly in Gaza’s northern region.
- Criticism of Netanyahu: The U.S. President criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza conflict, suggesting that his approach might be influenced by political considerations rather than Israel’s broader interests.
- White House Pressure: Amid initial support for Israel’s actions against Hamas, the White House has intensified calls for a cease-fire and increased humanitarian assistance, signaling a strain in the long-standing U.S.-Israel alliance due to the ongoing conflict.
- Contention Over Rafah Offensive: A significant point of contention remains Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah, with tensions exacerbated by a recent airstrike on an aid convoy, resulting in the death of seven World Central Kitchen workers.
- Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: The ongoing war has led to dire warnings of potential famine affecting over a million Gazans, with aid groups facing challenges in delivering necessary supplies due to Israeli restrictions and security concerns.
- Netanyahu’s “Total Victory” Objective: Despite international pressures, Netanyahu remains committed to a decisive military victory against Hamas, including operations in Rafah, as part of his strategy to prevent future attacks and secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas.
- Israel’s Growing Isolation: Six months into the conflict, Israel faces increasing isolation and criticism from the international community, including its closest allies and trading partners.
- Netanyahu’s Political Dilemma: The Israeli Prime Minister faces internal pressure to articulate a post-war vision for Gaza, amidst resistance from his ultranationalist partners opposed to significant concessions to Hamas and the resettlement of the Gaza Strip.
- Casualties and Humanitarian Impact: The conflict has resulted in over 33,400 Palestinian deaths, with Israel claiming to have eliminated around 12,000 militants. The war has also led to widespread displacement and destruction, rendering large areas of Gaza uninhabitable.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden says Israeli efforts to boost aid into Gaza are still not enough
Newslooks- TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) —
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza. “We’ll see what he does in terms of meeting the commitments that he made to me,” Biden said at the White House.
Although the flow of trucks has increased since Biden spoke with Netanyahu last week, the U.S. president said Israel should open another access point in Gaza’s north.
Biden has called Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza a mistake and called for his government to flood the beleaguered territory with aid.
After months of supporting the war against Hamas, the White House has ramped up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and taken a sterner line that has rattled the countries’ decades-old alliance and deepened Israel’s international isolation over the war.
The most serious disagreement has been over Israel’s plans for an offensive in Rafah. The rift was worsened by an Israeli airstrike last week on an aid convoy that killed seven workers with the World Central Kitchen charity, most of them foreigners. Israel said the deaths were unintentional, but Biden was outraged.
Biden’s latest comments in an interview that was recorded two days after the World Central Kitchen strike and aired late Tuesday highlight the differences between Israel and the U.S. over humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, where the war has led to warnings of imminent famine for more than a million people.
“What he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Spanish-language broadcaster Univision when asked if Netanyahu was prioritizing his political survival over Israel’s interest.
Israel halted aid deliveries to Gaza in the early days of the war, but under U.S. pressure has slowly increased the number of trucks allowed to enter the territory.
Still, aid groups say supplies are not reaching desperate people quickly enough, blaming Israeli restrictions and noting that thousands of trucks are waiting to enter Gaza. Countries have attempted less efficient ways to deliver aid, including airdrops and by sea.
Israel says its has opened up more entry points for trucks to enter and reach especially hard-hit areas like northern Gaza, an early target of Israel in the war. Israel also accuses aid groups of being too slow to deliver aid once it’s inside Gaza.
Aid groups say logistical issues and the precarious security situation — underscored by the strike on the aid workers — complicate deliveries.
Netanyahu has vowed to achieve “total victory,” pledging to destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 attacks and to return hostages captured by Hamas and others that day. He says that victory must include an offensive in Rafah.
Six months into the war, Israel is growing ever more isolated, with even its closest partner increasingly vocal about its discontent with the war’s direction and longtime trading partners like Turkey taking potentially painful economic steps to express dismay.
Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, is under pressure to decide on a postwar vision for Gaza. But critics say he is delaying because he doesn’t want to anger his ultranationalist governing partners, who support resettling the Gaza Strip, which Israel withdrew from in 2005. Netanyahu has ruled out the idea.
His governing partners also oppose making significant concessions to Hamas and have threatened to exit the government — a step that would cause the ruling coalition to collapse and trigger new elections.
Israel launched the war in response to Hamas’ cross-border assault in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took roughly 250 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
More than 33,400 Palestinians have been killed in the relentless fighting, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says most of the dead are women and children. Israel says it has killed some 12,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war has ignited a humanitarian catastrophe. Most of the territory’s population has been displaced and with vast swaths of Gaza’s urban landscape leveled in the fighting, many areas are uninhabitable.
