Biden threatens Netanyahu: Protect Gaza civilians or US policy will change

[Bambino 24,321]

President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel’s Gaza war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

Biden and Netanyahu ‘s roughly 30-minute call just days after Israeli airstrikes killed seven food aid workers in Gaza added a new layer of complication to the leaders’ increasingly strained relationship. Biden’s message marks a sharp change in his administration’s steadfast support for Israel’s war efforts, with the U.S. leader for the first time threatening to rethink his backing if Israel doesn’t change its tactics and allow much more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The White House would not specify what could change about U.S. policy, but it could include altering military sales to Israel and America’s diplomatic backup on the world stage. Administration officials said they expected the Israelis to make announcements on next steps within hours or days and that the U.S. would then assess whether the Israeli moves go far enough.

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,” the White House said in a statement following the leaders’ call. “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.”

Biden also told Netanyahu that an “immediate cease-fire is essential” and urged Israel to reach such an accord “without delay,” according to the White House, which described the conversation as “direct” and “honest.”

There was no immediate reaction to the call from the Israeli government.

The leaders’ conversation comes as the World Central Kitchen, founded by restauranteur José Andrés to provide immediate food relief to disaster-stricken areas, called for an independent investigation into the Israeli strikes that killed the group’s staff members, including an American citizen.

The White House has said the U.S. has no plans to conduct its own investigation even as it called on Israel to do more to prevent the harming of innocent civilians and aid workers as it carries out its operations in Gaza.

Separately, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Brussels that U.S. support would be curtailed if Israel doesn’t make significant adjustments to how it’s carrying out the war. “If we don’t see the changes that we need to see, there will be changes in our policy,” he said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed the call for “tangible” and “concrete” changes to be taken by the Israelis beyond reiterating long stated calls for allowing additional aid to get into Gaza.

“If there’s no changes to their policy in their approaches, then there’s going to have to be changes to ours,” Kirby said. “There are things that need to be done. There are too many civilians being killed.”

The demands for Israel to bring the conflict to a swift close were increasing across the political spectrum, with former President Donald Trump, the Republicans’ presumptive nominee to face Biden this fall, saying Thursday that Israel was “absolutely losing the PR war” and calling for a resolution to the bloodshed.

“Get it over with and let’s get back to peace and stop killing people. And that’s a very simple statement,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “They have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to -- you have to get back to normalcy and peace.”

Biden and Netanyahu also discussed Iranian threats against Israel, Kirby said. Earlier this week, Iranian leaders vowed to hit back after an airstrike widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran’s Consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said Wednesday the attack “will not remain without answer.”

Biden also renewed his concerns about Netanyahu’s plan to carry out an operation in the southern city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas following the militant group’s deadly Oct. 7 attack. Vice President Kamala Harris, Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan also joined the call.

Still, the Biden administration has proceeded apace with arms transfers and deliveries to Israel, many of which were approved years ago but had only been partially or not at all fulfilled. Just this week, on Monday, the Democratic administration’s “Daily List” of munitions transfers included the sale to Israel of more than 1,000 500-pound (225-kilograms) bombs and more than 1,000 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bombs.

Officials said those transfers had been approved before the publication of the list on Monday — the day Israeli airstrikes hit a World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza, killing seven of the group’s employees — and that they fell below the threshold for new congressional notification. Also, they noted that the bombs are not for delivery to Israel until 2025.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Thursday said plans to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help boost the flow of aid into the territory continue to move forward. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said the pier will be on line by the end of the month or early May. Biden announced plans to build the floating pier during his State of the Union address last month.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-netanyahu-3591fb5f82b22cf8e5d1060fccaef115

[Bambino 24,321]

An interesting tweet

 

[alsemanche 97,796]

The US funding an active genocide then acting scandalized the second a non-Arab is affected by it? Groundbreaking 

[alsemanche 97,796]

5 minutes ago, alsemanche said:

The US funding an active genocide then acting scandalized by it the second a non-Arab is affected by it? Groundbreaking 

The massacre of Al-Shifa was unveiled only a few days ago and the West gave 0 fucks, mind you. 

[SwissMonster 30,688]

Its so „funny“ to see them switch when they realize this could get them in trouble too and when their own people are involved. Like bfr, its too late, you already are complicit and we will never forget!

[Bronco 24,805]

Amazing what a dead white guy or 2 can do for a cause....

[Bambino 24,321]

10 minutes ago, alsemanche said:

The US funding an active genocide then acting scandalized the second a non-Arab is affected by it? Groundbreaking

Israel be like: anything or ma sugar mommy

 

[littlepotter 76,610]

They're scrambling. I honestly never expected something like this would ever come out of the mouth of a US president, especially a proud zionist like Biden. The world is changing...

[OMF 3,649]

All talk. 

[27monster27 15,849]

11 minutes ago, alsemanche said:

The US funding an active genocide then acting scandalized the second a non-Arab is affected by it? Groundbreaking 

At this point I wonder why we even separated from the UK in 1776 in the first place only to become just like them.

[StarstruckIllusion 53,563]

 Get Bengenocide N*ziyahoo for meeeee

FINALLY 

Months late, and there’s still a deep wound throughout the globe about this. But finally there’s a turn around. **** that policy up!!

[Dennis 8,391]

I doubt there'll be a significant policy change. 

The only losers in all of this are the Palestinian civilians. 

Hamas wins by sacrificing their people till the last one and having no pressure on them to make concessions. They will survive politically.

Israel will likely rehabilitate its image by electing someone else other than Netanyahu in the next election. And the world has short memory as usual. They'll move on to the next thing.

In the meantime, there'll be mass-scale destruction left in Gaza with little to no coverage after the war, and who will rebuild?

[River 127,341]

It's not like they care about anyone, it's just for the US elections.

You can't lecture with one hand, while give weapons with the other.

This war must end with a Palestinian state, a ceasefire is nothing but a loose band-aid, it's serving Israel more than it serves Palestine, so Israel stops the fire, hostages or whatever are back, and? what's next? Israel continues to build in the west bank, gaza is destroyed, but at no least war planes? should they say thank you biden for saving us all?

[bionic 50,111]

Its a completely empty threat and pure electioneering

[Daenerys 6,274]

I was just going to post what River commented. 
 

guess who are now legally of age to vote in the U.S.? Gen Z. Guess who has the most polling power come Election Day? Gen Z. 
 

What is today’s generation protesting? Stopping the genocide. Who are they holding accountable? EVERYONE that is complicit. The Biden is only pulling this stunt now to try and ensure the Gen Z vote.