The killing of seven international aid workers who were delivering food aid to starving Gazans has thrown President Biden into a corner over his policy toward Israel, even as he is outraged by his lack of consideration for protecting civilians.
Biden struck his sharpest tone yet at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, warning that US policy on Gaza would be determined by “immediate” steps Israel must take to alleviate the “unacceptable” humanitarian situation. did.
It did little to bridge the growing gap between Biden and Netanyahu. Despite U.S. insistence that relations between the two countries remain the same as they have been for decades, statements from both countries in recent weeks suggest tensions between the two leaders are rising.
An erroneous attack puts the White House in crisis, the death toll exceeds 30,000, and a messy diplomatic situation, caused in part by a blockage of aid meant to support the Palestinians, becomes a sustained humanitarian disaster. I decided to survive. Meanwhile, the United States remains Israel’s major supplier of lethal weapons.
What some have characterized as a contradiction puts the regime in the awkward position of defending Israel while demanding more conditions for military operations amid growing public dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This was done despite the rising Palestinian death toll and despite Biden’s own objections. The majority of them were women and children, and this week’s indiscriminate killing of aid workers now ranks them among the 200 humanitarian workers killed in Gaza since the start of the war.
The situation is particularly sensitive in the case of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where some 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltered. Rafah is heeding Israeli calls to leave their homes on the northern strip as the military hunts down Hamas militants in retaliation for the killing of Palestinians. On October 7, 1,200 Israelis were attacked and hundreds of hostages were taken.
US ground war in support of Israel compared to public appeals leaning towards humanitarian concerns the abstention The content of the U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire creates a perception problem because it appears the administration is pursuing two different things, said the staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which includes Biden. said long-time employee Lester Manson. provided on the panel.
“While one could argue that there is a logical continuity between these two activities, it sometimes appears that the regime is speaking from both sides of the mouth, and the longer the conflict drags on, the more Awareness is strengthened,” Manson said.
Asked how that would make Biden look to the rest of the world, Munson said: “The risk is that the president will look weak.”
Resolute tone, weapon movement
In referring to the attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, Mr. Compared to the attack incident, I was noticeably more nervous. But Biden acknowledged that the murder of celebrity chef Jose Andrés’ staff was “not an isolated incident.”
“This conflict is one of the worst in recent memory in terms of aid worker death tolls,” Biden said. “This is the main reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza is so difficult. Because we haven’t taken appropriate measures.” Incidents like yesterday must never occur. ”
But at the same time, on Monday, the same day as the attack, the administration approved another major weapons transfer to Israel, which it said was green-lighted by Congress as part of a decade-long security agreement years before the war began. Although the government claims that.
Despite the unfortunate timing of the arms transfer being approved on the same day as an Israeli attack on an aid convoy, it is not directly related to the conflict and will take years to reach Israel. A State Department spokesperson said.
However, criticism from within the president’s own party has not subsided, and pressure is mounting to consider attaching conditions to the aid.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and frequently speaks with Biden. told CNN on Thursday. He said Israel’s war tactics “do not reflect the best values of Israel or the United States.”
“We’re at that stage” in terms of supporting conditional aid to Israel if it carries out its intention to launch a large-scale invasion of the southern city of Rafah without civilian provisions, Coons said. he said. “I’ve never said that before. I’ve never been here before.”
“The challenge is that we support the Israeli people and we want and will continue to have a strong and close relationship with Israel, but the tactics with which the current prime minister is making these decisions. “We need to make clear that it does not reflect the best values of Israel or the United States,” he said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters On Tuesday, Israel’s $3 billion annual military aid bill said it would not require any additional notification or approval of “any kind” even if the situation changes, and insisted the weapons would be used in “self-defense.”
“We’ve been focused on making sure October 7th never happens again,” Blinken said. “Having said that, the security relationship we have with Israel is not just about October 7th Gaza, Hamas. It is also a threat posed, each vowing to destroy Israel in some way.”
Possible policy change, but few details
Blinken’s tone was even tougher Thursday, suggesting the U.S. is open to policy changes if calls for stronger protections for civilians go unheeded, but like the White House, he remains uncertain about what that means. Details on what to do were scant.
The timing of the latest arms transfers and Biden’s shift in keeping open any changes in U.S. policy towards Israel have left administration officials in a delicate dance as to whether such changes could occur in light of the latest arms transfers. asked tough questions about what that would look like.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby insisted Thursday that Biden’s support for Israel remains “rock-solid” during a tense exchange with reporters.
“how is it [Biden’s] Your support is unwavering, but are you also reconsidering your policy choices? ” Kirby asked.
“Both may be true,” Kirby replied.
“They cannot be true. They are completely different things,” the reporter retorted.
Kirby waved off the question and answered: Come on, come on. ”
“Our support is ironclad and consistent. It won’t stop — it won’t stop. It won’t waver, but if we don’t see a policy change from Israel, maybe we’ll have to make some policy changes. Is there? Yes,” Kirby said.
Tough talks between Biden and Netayahu appear to have moved the needle. By Friday, Israel had agreed to open border crossings to allow further aid to Gaza and announced the findings of an investigation into World Central Kitchen aid workers, leading to the firing of two military officers. .
The White House does not believe there is a definitive correlation between these changes and Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the day before. While the United States welcomed the changes, Kirby told reporters on Friday: “There is a lot of work ahead and we need to make sure that these things are done in a sustainable way, so we We are ready to continue our efforts.”
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