Middle East
USA dissatisfied with Israel’s conduct of the war – “frustration”
How should the Gaza Strip be managed after the end of the war? The USA and Israel disagree about this. photo
© Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
The USA has been supporting Israel in its fight against the Islamist Hamas since the beginning of the war, including by supplying weapons. But behind the scenes, tensions are increasingly emerging between the leadership.
Just over three months after the start of the Gaza war, there are signs of increasing frustration on the part of the Gaza Strip USA with Israel’s warfare. For weeks, Washington has been urging Israel to move from the intensive phase of heavy bombing to more targeted strikes against the Islamist Hamas.
Asked whether the US should put more pressure on Israel, US National Security Council communications director John Kirby said on CBS’ “Face the Nation”: “We believe it is time “to make this transition”.
Washington is pushing for transition
Kirby said on Sunday (local time) that they had just “discussed intensively about the transition to low-intensity operations” during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel. Israel has now taken “preparatory steps to get to this point”. The army is withdrawing some troops and relying “a little less on air strikes”. However, Kirby added, “We believe it’s time to make that transition. And we’ve had those conversations with them.”
US President Joe Biden is “increasingly frustrated” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rejection of most of the US government’s recent requests related to the war in Gaza, the news portal Axios reported, citing four US officials. According to Biden and his advisors, Israel is not doing enough in terms of humanitarian aid for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. They are also frustrated by Netanyahu’s rejection of the US plan for the period after the end of the war and Hamas’s power.
Future of the Gaza Strip
The US wants a reformed Palestinian Authority to take control of the coastal area after the war. Netanyahu rejects this. He wants the army to maintain security control even after the war and calls for the demilitarization of Gaza. “At every opportunity, Netanyahu has given Biden the finger,” Axios quoted Senator Chris Van Hollen from Biden’s Democratic Party as saying. “They beg the Netanyahu coalition, but keep getting slapped in the face.” A US official told the portal: “There is great frustration.”
The Washington Post, citing several government officials, wrote that Israel had made it clear in recent talks that it wanted to continue its high-intensity military operation throughout January. The Biden administration, Israel’s closest ally and main arms supplier, appears unable or unwilling to have meaningful influence over how the Israeli military conducts the war.