US President Joe Biden refrained from making any statements regarding the expansion of Israel’s ground offensive in southern Gaza and instead strongly condemned Hamas’ violence against women on October 7. But government officials and officials are becoming more direct in their calls for more to be done to resolve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The New York Times (“NYT”) referred to these differences in tone and word choice as “good cop, bad cop” diplomacy.
The White House is “deeply concerned” about how Israeli operations will develop in the coming weeks, CNN said, citing a senior US official. Not enough is being done to transport humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller warned.
More humanitarian support needed
More recently, Vice President Kamala Harris also called on Israel to do more “to protect innocent civilians.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that it was essential for the US to ensure that the “massive loss of civilian life and displacement (…) in the South is not repeated.”
Former special envoy for the Middle East, Martin Indyk, spoke to the “NYT” of a “carefully calibrated public campaign”. It arose from concern that the message would not be received privately. Biden wants to avoid criticizing Netanyahu in public as much as possible.
Portal/Ahmed Zakot The Israeli army changed the focus of the ground offensive to Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza
The window of opportunity for support is shrinking
Biden’s previous strategy of supporting Israel’s right to self-defense is also under pressure in the US. Officials admit this prevented Israel from expanding the war to include Hezbollah in Lebanon. Furthermore, the Gaza Strip was forced to open up to humanitarian aid.
But the window of opportunity for public support for Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip is shrinking. Even within his own party, the left wing of the Democrats, Biden is faced with accusations of having allowed the murder of numerous civilians.
debate
How does October 7th change the Middle East?
“How can we, on the one hand, allow a sovereign nation like Israel to combat terrorist targets and, on the other hand, get them to do so in a way that minimizes harm to civilians?” That is “the real question”. said Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor at the White House.
UN warns of atrocities
There is also growing international criticism of Israel’s approach and US support. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed in a phone call with Netanyahu on Wednesday that it was important to minimize civilian casualties in the conflict with Hamas.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on Wednesday of a growing risk of atrocities in the Gaza Strip: “Urgent measures must be taken, both by the parties involved and by all states, especially those with influence, to prevent such crimes.”
Jan Egeland, head of the NGO Norwegian Refugee Council, went a step further: countries that support Israel with weapons have a “permanent stain on their reputation”. He condemned the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas and called for the release of the hostages. Israel’s military campaign “can in no way be described as self-defense.”
Robinson: Support for Israel requires conditions
Former UN human rights commissioner Mary Robinson, head of The Elders, a group founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, also calls on countries that provide military aid to Israel to review it and set conditions. This particularly affects the USA.
If that doesn’t happen, the US will be responsible for the problem and will be linked to many deaths, she told CNN. Israel’s “disproportionate response” has reached a level of inhumanity towards Palestinians in Gaza that is no longer acceptable.
Portal/Mohammed Salem Aid sees few opportunities to help all those seeking protection
“Apocalyptic” conditions in southern Gaza
Israel’s ground offensive, which expanded into the south of Palestinian territory, triggered a new mass exodus. Humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm: there are not enough safe zones for all the people seeking protection. The UN Palestine Relief Agency (UNRWA) said it lacked funds to provide the necessary support.
The Israeli offensive in the south is as devastating as in the north of the Gaza Strip and is creating “apocalyptic” conditions, UN emergency coordinator Martin Griffiths said, saying he was speaking on behalf of the entire international aid community. Any possibility of meaningful humanitarian measures is lost.