U.S. President Biden issued a stern warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, demanding immediate changes to protect civilian lives in Gaza or face a reduction in U.S. support for Israel's military campaign against Hamas. The 30-minute phone call, which came in the wake of an Israeli airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers on Monday, marked a significant shift in Biden's approach to Israel and drew global condemnation.
During the tense conversation, Biden described Israel's strikes against humanitarian workers and the overall situation civilians are facing in Gaza as "unacceptable." The President stressed the need for Israel to take concrete actions to alleviate human suffering in the region within the "coming hours and days," according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
"If we don't see changes from their side, there will have to be changes on our side," Kirby said, highlighting the growing frustration within the Biden administration over Israel's indiscriminate bombing in Gaza and refusal to allow sufficient food aid into the area, putting more than 1 million people on the brink of famine.
Specifically, the Biden administration expects Israel to open more crossings for aid to enter Gaza, allow more food-filled trucks to enter, particularly from Jordan, and ensure the Israeli military takes proper steps to guarantee safe travel for aid workers. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the President's sentiment, telling reporters that the U.S. would shift gears "if we don't see the changes that we need to see," according to a report from the Jerusalem Post.
The heightened tensions between the U.S. and Israel come amidst ongoing concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as Israel's siege on the small strip of land has continued for over five months. Israel has killed tens of thousands of civilians during its operation to destroy Hamas's leadership and its network of tunnels under Gaza, which are used as ammunition stores.
Despite Biden and senior U.S. officials repeatedly expressing their concerns to Israeli leaders about the indiscriminate bombing and insufficient food aid, the messages appear to have fallen on deaf ears. When asked if Biden has been frustrated by the lack of progress, Kirby responded, "Yes, there has been growing frustration."
Biden's political rival, former President Donald Trump, expressed a similar exasperation during an interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show that aired Thursday. Trump stated that Israel was "losing the PR war" in their effort to dismantle Hamas and urged them to "get it over with" and "get back to normalcy," questioning whether he was "loving the way they're doing it."
In addition to the humanitarian concerns, Biden and Netanyahu also discussed Iranian threats against Israel during their phone call. The White House readout of the conversation emphasized that Biden "made clear that the United States strongly supports Israel in the face of those threats."
However, the primary focus of the call remained on the urgent need for an "immediate ceasefire" to protect civilians and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Biden also urged Netanyahu to "empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home."
The President's ultimatum to Israel comes as a Times of Israel report on Thursday claimed that Hamas appeared to reject an Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire. As tensions continue to rise and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, the international community will be closely monitoring the actions of both Israel and the United States in the coming days and weeks.
