Palestinian relatives mourn the covered bodies of Al-Habash family members after an Israeli airstrike Photo: Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock < p>Joe Biden warned Israel that it must take “immediate action” to stop civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, strongly hinting that it was considering suspending arms sales to the war-torn country.
The ultimatum was issued in in a tense 30-minute phone call between the US president and Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening for the first time since Israel killed seven Western aid workers, including three Britons, in a series of targeted drone strikes on Monday.
Mr Biden called for an “immediate ceasefire” as he spoke with the Israeli leader following the “unacceptable” attack on workers at the US-based aid organization World Central Kitchen.
In his strongest statement since the conflict began Biden demanded that Israel “announce and implement a series of concrete, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers,” the White House said.
“He made clear that U.S. policy toward the Gaza Strip will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate actions on these steps.” > Mr. Biden condemned the deaths of seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike. Photo: REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot
Biden is said to have made it clear that the United States may suspend arms supplies to Israel if it does not resolve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
“That was the message,” a White House spokesman told NBC. < /p>
Stephen A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and African studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told The Telegraph that, according to In his opinion, Biden will have to follow through on his threat.
p> “Now that he has essentially threatened to take action, he will be weak not to follow through unless the Israelis take action,” he said.
Apart from limiting military aid, he said that “the United States really has no other leverage.”
In Whitehall, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron resisted calls to suspend British arms. sales to Israel, despite senior lawyers warning the UK would be breaking both international and domestic laws if exports continued.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said Israel must demonstrate that it is “willing and able to take practical, immediate steps to protect workers on the ground and demonstrate that they have measures in place to reduce harm to civilians.” /p >
“We hope to see announcements of changes in the coming hours and days,” he said.
The US President had a tense 30-minute telephone conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: REUTERS
Israel's cabinet approved measures to increase the flow of aid into Gaza in light of Biden's talks with Netanyahu, including the opening of the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.
The crossing will be opened for the first time. time since it was seriously damaged during the Hamas attack on October 7. Politicians also gave the go-ahead for the opening of the port of Ashdod for humanitarian supplies.
“Israel will allow the temporary delivery of humanitarian aid through Ashdod and the Erez crossing,” Netanyahu's office said in a statement. said.
“This increase in assistance will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of hostilities and the achievement of war objectives,” the document added.
“These steps, including the commitment to open Ashdod Port for direct aid delivery to the Gaza Strip, the opening of the Erez crossing to a new route for aid delivery to the northern Gaza Strip, and a significant increase in supplies from Jordan directly to the Gaza Strip, must now be fully and quickly implemented,” said a representative of the National Security Council. Adrienne Watson said.
Ms. Watson reiterated that U.S. policy “will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate actions on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers.”
She said: “We stand ready to work in full coordination with the Government of Israel, the Governments of Jordan and Egypt, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to ensure that these important steps are implemented and lead to a significant increase in humanitarian assistance. providing assistance to civilians in dire need throughout Gaza in the coming days and weeks.”
The news came hours after Netanyahu spoke with Biden.
Israel has come under fire following the attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy. Photo: Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images
The US president told Mr Netanyahu he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the attack on aid workers, which killed a dual US-Canadian citizen. Israel claimed responsibility for the strikes but said they were not intentional.
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has become increasingly dire in recent months, with the remaining population of more than two million facing hunger and disease, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Brussels that US support will be cut unless Israel makes significant adjustments to the way it fights the war.
“If we don't see the changes we need to see, there will be changes in our policies,” he said.
A number of Democrats in Congress have called for Mr. Biden to set conditions on supporting Israel in protecting Gaza civilians and allowing more aid to flow across the border.
Chris Coons, a presidential confidant and fellow Democrat from Delaware, said that the US is “… at this point” where it should consider imposing conditions on arms sales to Israel.
The State Department's plan to provide Israel with one of the largest military support packages in years, including $18 billion for F-15 fighter jets, is currently stalled in the Senate, sources familiar with the consultations told the New York Times.
Critics say Biden has made similar threats before without success and accuse him of being unwilling to take real action.
“The US government continues to supply 2,000-pound bombs and ammunition to support Israeli policies,” he wrote on Wednesday on social media by Ben Rhodes, President Obama's former deputy national security adviser.
“Until there are significant consequences, this disgrace leads to nothing. Bibi obviously doesn't care what the US says, he cares about what the US does.”
The US has come under fire for approving more bombs to be sent to Israel on the day that killed seven Aid workers were killed in Gaza.
The US is by far Israel's largest arms supplier – accounting for 69 percent of Israel's arms imports between 2013 and 2022 – but pressure on Britain is also growing.< /p>
If Lord Cameron had acted, it would not have been the first time the UK had canceled arms sales to Israel.
In July 2009, the UK withdrew five arms deliveries to Israel.
In July 2009, the UK withdrew five arms supplies to Israel. weapons export licenses for Israeli Navy missile boats due to their use during the 2008-09 Gaza War.
Some Whitehall sources are frustrated by how long it took Foreign Office officials to review evidence for December and January and provide your legal assessment.
This process can be time-consuming and legally complex, including the Foreign Office contacting the Israeli Embassy in the UK for comment on specific incidents in dispute.
p>
On Thursday, Downing Street and Foreign Office sources sought to play down the notion that any changes to arms sales to Israel were imminent. They also rejected suggestions that Lord Cameron and Rishi Sunak had different positions on the issue.
Lord Cameron is not understood to have raised the possibility of an arms suspension when he spoke to Israel Katz, the Israeli foreign minister, on Tuesday after strike, which killed British citizens.
However, the Foreign Secretary has made calls for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza. Mr Katz was reported to have given assurances that 500 aid trucks a day would be allowed in, more than double the recent number crossing into Gaza.
However, pressure is on for decisive action Britain is strengthening.
Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain and Belgium have suspended arms sales following Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.
And on Thursday there were calls in parliament for the government to seek legal advice. will be published.
David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, called on ministers to “publish the legal advice immediately.”
“If it says there is a clear risk that the UK will arm used in serious violation of international humanitarian law, it is time to suspend the sale of these weapons,” he added.
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