Biden's telephone ultimatum restricts Netanyahu's freedom of movement
The US President, Joe Biden, warned Israel of the consequences of not protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and allowing humanitarian aid to arrive. If the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not abide by US demands, "Washington will curb its support" for Tel Aviv. Ahmad Abdel-Rahman writes.
In the last call between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said that the US President urged Israel to "announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, human suffering, and the safety of aid workers". Biden also said the US policy regarding Gaza "will be determined by our assessment of the immediate action that Tel Aviv will take concerning these steps."
The 30-minute call was tense at times as Biden expressed concerns, and Netanyahu defended his approach on Gaza, a source familiar with the talks said, on condition of anonymity. A senior White House official also described the conversation as "very direct and frank". He said Vice President Kamala Harris, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Antony Blinken were present during the call.
On April 4, the US President issued an ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he must protect civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza, otherwise Washington may curb its support for Israel during its war on the Hamas movement.
The warning comes after recent American calls for Israel to change its military methods, which have claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians. The warning follows an Israeli attack that killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen organization, which sparked global outrage.
The White House did not specifically mention the steps required of Netanyahu, nor did it explain the consequences of not taking them. However, analysts said the implicit meaning of the warning was to slow down US arms transfers to Israel or reduce US support at the United Nations (UN).
"It looks like a return to Christ moment," said analyst Stephen Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank, referring to Biden's comment last month that his relationship with Netanyahu was heading toward a similar turning point.
The White House stated that the US President urged Israel to "announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, human suffering, and the safety of aid workers."
"I'll just say this: If we don't see the changes we need to see, there will be changes in our policy," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in more blunt comments.
Regarding US expectations, a US official said: "We need a comprehensive plan for them to do a much better job here. They cannot kill humanitarian workers and civilians." Although Biden has long avoided reducing US support for Israel, his patience may have finally run out.
Just hours after the call between Biden and Netanyahu, the Israeli government announced several steps to increase the flow of aid to Gaza, including agreeing to reopen the Erez crossing leading to the northern Gaza Strip, temporarily using the Ashdod port in southern Israel, and increasing aid coming from Jordan. However, whether these steps were sufficient to meet American demands, was not immediately clear
"The president says they [Israel] have to meet these humanitarian needs or the US will have no choice but to impose conditions on military assistance," said Dennis Ross, a veteran American diplomat who works at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
High cost of supporting the Israeli campaign in Gaza
"There will always be a point where the Biden administration feels that the domestic and international cost of supporting the Israeli campaign in Gaza outweighs the benefit of what Israel has been able to achieve on the ground," said Mike Singh, a former National Security Council official who worked on the Middle East. Singh now works at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He said that if Israel does not meet Biden's conditions, the US will likely negotiate a UN Security Council resolution like the one that ended the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in 2006.
Biden, who is seeking re-election as president next November, is struggling to balance pressure from progressive Democrats to rein in Netanyahu after they were horrified by the number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the risk of losing mostly independent, pro-Israel voters. Biden has so far resisted placing conditions on arms transfers.
The turning point for Biden, a staunch supporter of Israel, was the bloody attack launched by Israel last Monday on seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen charity founded by the famous chef José Andrés. This came at a time when the Biden administration is intensifying its pressure on Israel to consider alternatives to the ground attack it threatens to launch on the city of Rafah, a place that was meant to be the last relatively safe haven for civilians in the coastal strip.
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