President Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to express concern about Israeli strikes that killed aid workers and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call Thursday that U.S. policy on the war in Gaza will be determined by whether Israel takes “a series of specific, concrete, measurable steps” to address civilian deaths. and humanitarian workers in the territory, the White House said.
The 30-minute phone call came after seven World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed in Israeli attacks. Biden said the attacks and humanitarian situation in Gaza were unacceptable and urged Netanyahu to conclude hostage talks so an “immediate ceasefire” can be established and more aid distributed to the region.
“He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable measures to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of humanitarian workers,” the White House said in a statement after the call. .
“He made clear that US policy toward Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these measures. He stressed that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude an agreement without delay to bring the hostages home,” the White House said.
Where are the negotiations
The White House later said Israel had agreed to open the Ashdod port to deliver aid to Gaza and open the Erez crossing into northern Gaza.
Biden’s call for Netanyahu to “empower” his negotiators comes as Israeli media reports that Netanyahu has limited his authority to reach a final deal. On Wednesday, an Israeli official attributed the deadlock in ceasefire talks to the United States’ decision to allow the UN Security Council to pass a ceasefire resolution on March 25.
The U.S. move “harmed the momentum of the negotiations” because Hamas hardened its positions, the official said in a briefing with U.S. media outlets, including NPR. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
The United States said at the time that the vote did not indicate a change in policy, and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “perplexed” by Israel’s apparent outrage.
Negotiators had been working toward a temporary ceasefire that would take effect during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in exchange for the release of the hostages. There is only one week left until the end of Ramadan.
The United States seeks an immediate response
On Thursday, Kirby told reporters that the White House wanted to see a dramatic increase in aid coming to Gaza and “a reduction in violence against civilians and certainly against humanitarian workers” and said he expected initial announcements from Israel in the “next hours and days.” ”
“The president made it clear that if there are no changes in the protection of civilians on the ground, if there are no changes in the volume of humanitarian assistance that arrives, if there is no movement around a ceasefire that allows the hostages getting out and more coming in helps… “If there is no calm, he will have to reconsider his own political decisions regarding Gaza,” Kirby said.
Kirby declined to comment on what the consequences would be if those actions do not materialize, or whether that might include a possible halt to U.S. military aid to Israel.
“What we want to see are some real changes on the Israeli side. And if we don’t see changes on their side, there will have to be changes on our side,” Kirby told reporters.
