Biden To Netanyahu: ‘we Won’t Be Able To Support You’ If You Don’t Change Course
BIDEN to NETANYAHU: ‘WE WON’T’ BE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOU’ IF YOU DON’T’ CHANGE COURSE ON GAZA
US President Joe Biden warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their tense phone call yesterday that Washington “won’t be able to support” Israel unless it drastically changes its prosecution of the war in Gaza, the Axios news site reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
The sources say Biden didn’t specify what a loss of US support would mean, but his aides have not explicitly ruled out the possibility that the administration could start conditioning aid to Israel when asked repeatedly by reporters.
Yesterday’s call was the toughest Biden has held with Netanyahu — both in tone and in substance — since the start of the war, Axios reports.
Biden told Netanyahu that there needed to be a pause in the fighting following the IDF’s deadly strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy. WCK and other aid groups announced a suspension of operations in Gaza following the attack and Biden indicated a pause would prevent a total breakdown in aid distribution.
Netanyahu responded that a pause wouldn’t be necessary since Israel was implementing new procedures on the ground. Moreover, he said a truce must be contingent on Hamas releasing hostages — a position the US has long held, but has apparently been moving away from in recent weeks as the humanitarian situation worsens.
Biden’s request for a pause in fighting outside the context of a hostage deal surprised Netanyahu, a senior Israeli official tells Axios.
During a security cabinet meeting after the call, Netanyahu noted that the White House readout similarly didn’t explicitly condition a ceasefire on a hostage deal. It said that Biden told the Israeli premier “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.”
An Israeli official noted that after asking the White House to privately and publicly clarify whether it has changed its position regarding the need to condition a ceasefire on a hostage deal, the administration followed through both privately and publicly.
White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters earlier today, “Let’s get a deal in place so that we can get a ceasefire for a matter of weeks in place, so that it’s easier to meet those commitments on humanitarian assistance being increased.”
Asked earlier today whether he had threatened to withhold aid from Israel during the call, Biden responded that Netanyahu did what he asked him to do regarding Gaza aid.
The senior Israeli official tells Axios he expects the steps taken by Israel to significantly improve the humanitarian situation
“We think it will also calm down the situation between the US and Israel,” he says.
US officials, on the other hand, are waiting to see results before passing judgment.
“We’ll be looking at all of this in the days to come and we’re looking to see not just what steps are being taken, but the results that follow from them,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier today.
