Action in the Gaza Strip
USA sends clear words to Israel
December 8, 2023, 1:03 a.m
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The tone that leading US politicians are taking towards Israel is becoming harsher. Secretary of State Blinken is once again calling for the protection of civilians. President Biden also reiterates the issue to Prime Minister Netanyahu. It’s all about the security zones.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has again called on Israel to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli leadership has taken important additional steps in this direction, said Blinken after a meeting with his British colleague David Cameron in Washington. However, there is still a gap between what he suggested during his recent visit to Tel Aviv and what actual results can be observed.
Blinken said, for example, that it was not just about setting up safety zones, but also communicating about them in such a way that people actually knew where they could flee, when exactly and how. In addition, there must be food, water and medicine for the refugees in such security zones. “This is something we regularly talk to the Israelis about,” he stressed. US President Joe Biden also addressed this in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We recognize the extraordinary difficulty of this task as Israel is dealing with a terrorist adversary” who is intentionally mingling with civilians, Blinken said. Nevertheless, Israel is obliged to do everything it can to protect civilians. There is great criticism of Israel’s actions against the Islamist Hamas in Gaza due to the high number of victims among the Palestinian civilian population.
Tone has changed
In the first weeks of the war, the US government held back completely on public advice and focused on unconditional support for Israel. Recently, however, the tone changed noticeably.
During a visit to Tel Aviv at the end of November, Blinken warned that “before resuming major military operations, Israel must put in place humanitarian plans to protect the civilian population that minimize further casualties among innocent Palestinians.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris also said a few days ago: “We believe that Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians.” Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.