The US government gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a choice: do something about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. If not, the United States will withhold new supplies of weapons.
Netanyahu gets 30 days.
The warning, the strongest of its kind so far in the war, was sent in a message on Sunday. It didn't take long for it to be shared across news sites like Axios.
The senders were US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
We are particularly concerned that the recent actions taken by the Israeli government are contributing to the rapid and increasing deterioration of the situation in Gaza, the letter stated.
At “breaking point”
After a year of war, Israel has killed more than 42,000 people in Gaza, according to health authorities. Israel launches a new major offensive in the north.
We are very close to a potential breaking point,” Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, told the press on Wednesday.
He added – I will not hide the fact that we may reach a point where we will not be able to work anymore.
Two children inspect the ground outside a hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday, two days after an Israeli air strike in the area.
Photography: Iyad Baba/Agence France-Presse
In the letter, Blinken and Austin point to, among other things, a ban on the import of goods into Gaza, a ban on movement from north to south in the Gaza Strip, and restrictions on what can be sent to the Gaza Strip.
In the letter, the United States demands, among other things, that at least 350 trucks be allowed into Gaza daily, a cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of evacuation orders.
Almost all hospitals in Gaza are out of service. Residents lack food, water, electricity and medicine.
-I'm tired of being ignored
White House spokesman John Kirby said the letter “was not intended as a threat,” Reuters wrote.
But many believe that this is a clear attempt by the United States to put more pressure on Israel. Deborah Kitchen Duderlein, associate professor of American history, culture and politics at the University of Oslo, thinks so.
Deborah Kitchen Doderlein is an associate professor at the University of Oslo. She believes the United States is trying to pressure Israel to join.
Photo: private
– Maybe this is what Biden has been saying all along. But perhaps he was tired of being ignored. “This is a way to increase the pressure,” Kitchen Duderlein tells NRK.
However, the associate professor is clear about one thing: neither Biden nor Harris can make up his mind about Netanyahu and Israel.
But especially Harris, who is vice president and reports to Biden.
Israel does not decide
– It seems that many people believe that the American president can force Israel to act differently. But this is not the case. Israel is an independent state. It's not a nodding American doll, Kitchen Duderline asserts.
Biden can ask them, tempt them, and cajole them. He can promise more support if they do what he wants. She says he can't force them.
A military vehicle on the border with Gaza. In the background you can see piles of rubble after numerous Israeli attacks.
Photography: Amir Cohen – Reuters
But it is not certain that the public message is intended solely to increase pressure on Israel.
It is also conceivable that this is part of an attempt to appease and outmaneuver some of Biden and Harris' critics.
Especially progressive Democrats, where many are split between voting for no one, or voting for Harris, during the presidential election in November.
Harris has faced criticism for her approach toward Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Kitchen Duderlin believes the letter could be a response to this criticism.
There is no “close ally”
Recently, a statement from Harris caused an uproar. In an interview with 60 Minutes earlier in October, the anchor asked whether she considered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “close ally.”
Harris wouldn't answer that directly.
– I think, with all due respect, that the better question is whether we have an important alliance between the American and Israeli peoples, Harris answered, and continued:
– The answer to this question is yes.
But Kitchen-Døderlein reminds us that this is true after all. When the State of Israel was founded more than 70 years ago, the United States promised to protect the country.
– This alliance is with the state, not with the man, says Kitchen-Döderlein, referring to Netanyahu.
– I think everyone can see that the United States is clearly frustrated with the man.
From tonight to Thursday Norwegian time, Kamala Harris appears in another interview. This time with Fox News. Many are eagerly awaiting what she will answer this time regarding the policy she will follow towards Israel.
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Published
16.10.2024 at 17.04
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