Biden, Netanyahu speak for first time since aid workers killed
Biden told Netanyahu an "immediate" cease-fire is essential President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken for the first time since seven aid workers, including one American, were killed in an apparent Israeli air strike as they returned from an aid mission. The White House called for an immediate ceasefire to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and protect innocent civilians. Biden also urged Netanyahu to establish a deal to return the hostages home and called for Israel to take specific steps to address the humanitarian and safety of aid workers in the Palestinian territory. The call marks the first between the two leaders since March 18, when Biden requested an Israeli delegation to Washington to hear the Biden administration's pitch on an alternative approach to an Israeli military operation in Rafah that avoids a major ground operation. Netanyahu continues to insist that an invasion of Rafah is the necessary next step in its campaign to eliminate Hamas.
Pubblicato : 4 settimane fa di Maddie Gannon in Politics
President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for the time since seven aid workers, including one American, were killed in an apparent Israeli air strike as they returned from an aid mission.
According to a readout of the call from the White House, Biden told the prime minister that the strikes and the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza were “unacceptable” and that an “immediate" cease-fire "is essential.”
“He underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home,” the statement from the White House read.
The president also told Netanyahu that Israel must craft “specific, concrete and measurable” steps to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the safety of aid workers in the Palestinian territory.
“He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps,” the statement said.
Seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen — a humanitarian aid organization that frequently parachutes into areas facing crisis-levels of food insecurity, including war zones like Gaza, areas recovering from national disasters and parts of the U.S. during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 — were killed Monday night in an apparent Israeli air strike, as they returned from an aid mission.
The killing of the seven workers kicked off a wave of anger, including from the White House.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he was "outraged and heartbroken" by the killings of the workers, calling their deaths "a tragedy."
"Even more tragically, this is not a standalone incident. This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed. This is a major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult — because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians," Biden added. "Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians."
Biden added that he spoke with Chef Jose Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen and a co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, expressing his condolences.
The phone call between the pair marks their first since March 18, when Biden requested that Netanyahu send an Israeli delegation to Washington to hear the Biden administration’s pitch on an alternative approach to an invasion of Rafah that avoids a major ground operation.
The prime minister then canceled the delegation after the U.S. abstained rather than vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that demanded an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages.
Days later, the White House confirmed that Netanyahu has agreed to reschedule the meeting and on Monday, U.S. and Israeli officials met virtually to discuss Rafah.
Tensions have flared over Israel’s potential military operation in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than one million civilians are taking refuge amid the monthslong war.
Netanyahu continues to insist that an invasion of Rafah is the necessary next step in its campaign to eliminate Hamas following the group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people. The White House has made clear it doesn’t support a full ground operation without a plan to protect civilians in the city, which National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby last week described as a “difficult chore” for any military.
“There's not a whole lot of geographic space to relocate people in a safe and secure way. That would be a difficult chore for any modern military,” he told reporters on a call. “So we don't support a major ground operation.”
Following a meeting with Blinken in Israel last month, in a statement, Netanyahu said Israel would proceed with its goal in Rafah whether or not the U.S. supports the move.
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