WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, He stated this Monday that he informed the President of the United States, Joe Biden, that he is determined to comply with “all the objectives of the war”, at a time when Israel is under pressure for its offensive in Gaza after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israeli territory.
“We discussed the latest developments in the war, including Israel’s determination to achieve all of the war’s goals: eliminating Hamas, freeing all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel, while delivering aid. humanitarian aid that contributes to achieving these goals,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone on Monday for the first time in more than a month, the White House said, as the rift between the allies widened over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s conduct of the war.
Democrats meddling in elections
The call came after Republicans in Washington and Israeli officials expressed anger over Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s speech in which he harshly criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war and called on Israel to celebrate. new elections, in a clear interference in the internal affairs of Israel. Republicans accuse Schumer of violating the unspoken rule of not interfering in the electoral politics of an allied country.
Biden did not repeat the call for Israeli elections, but said Schumer gave “a good speech” that reflected the concerns he said of many Americans. Biden’s support for Shumer would have electoral overtones because Muslim groups have threatened to withdraw support for the president who is running for re-election.
The White House has been skeptical of Netanyahu’s plan to launch an operation in Rafah, on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, where more than 1 million Palestinians have fled due to war, as Israel tries to eliminate Hamas. that attacked Israel on October 7 and left hundreds murdered, mostly civilians, and kidnapped more than 200 people, more than 100 remain in the power of Hamas terrorists.
US government officials have said they will not support such an operation unless Israel presents a credible plan to protect Palestinian civilians.
Israel has not presented such a plan, according to White House officials.
Organizations do not look after the kidnapped
The call between Biden and Netanyahu also came as the United Nations food agency on Monday issued more grim warnings about what they call a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
The World Food Program warned that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza, where 70% of the remaining population is experiencing “catastrophic” hunger, and that a worsening war could push almost half the population of Gaza on the brink of starvation.
Israel demands the return of the kidnapped, but Hamas is indolent in the face of the demand of the relatives of the kidnapped. Human rights organizations are also not demanding the release of the Israeli hostages; their statements are aimed at condemning Israel’s response to the October 7 attack.
“We are not a banana republic”
On Sunday, Netanyahu rejected American criticism, calling the call for new elections in Israel “totally inappropriate.”
Speaking to Fox News Channel, Netanyahu noted that Israel would never have called for elections in the United States after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
“We are not a banana republic,” he said. “The Israeli people will decide when to hold elections and who to elect, and that is not something that will be imposed on us from outside.”
After delivering his State of the Union address a few days ago, Biden was heard commenting, unaware that his microphone was on, that he had told Netanyahu that one day they will have to talk honestly about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. His frustration with the way Netanyahu has handled the war was also evident in a recent interview with MSNBC in which he said that Netanyahu “is harming Israel,” in his opinion and given the pressure he faces in the face of the elections.
Source: With information from AP and AFP
