US will change policy if Israel does not protect civilians in Gaza

Biden’s warning came in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, following a deadly Israeli attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers that prompted calls from US Democrats for conditions on US aid to Israel. Israel said the attack was carried out in error.

US President Joe Biden, a longtime supporter of Israel, has resisted some pressure to cut aid or halt arms shipments to the country. His latest warnings mark the first time he has threatened to place conditions on aid packages, a development that could change the course of the nearly six-month-old war.

In a statement on the call, the White House said Mr Biden “made clear that Israel needs to declare and take a series of specific, clear and actionable steps to address the harm to civilians, the humanitarian crisis and the safety of health workers”. The call lasted about 30 minutes, they said.

In a statement, the White House said the president “made clear that US policy around Gaza will be determined based on our assessment of Israel’s initial actions around these steps.”

Washington is Israel's largest arms supplier and the Biden administration has regularly provided a diplomatic shield for the country at the United Nations.

In a briefing following the call, White House spokesman John Kirby declined to discuss further changes the US might make around Israel and Gaza.

Washington expects a statement from Israel on the steps in the “coming hours and days,” he said.

Asked about possible policy changes the US might make, Netanyahu's spokesman Tal Heinrich said: "I believe these are things that Washington has to explain."

On Monday, Israel carried out an attack that killed seven aid workers for World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Andres said Israeli forces had attacked his workers “systematically, vehicle by vehicle.”

Israel vowed on Thursday to change its tactics in the Gaza war after describing the attack as a result of misidentification of the target and saying the findings of an investigation would be made public soon.

The White House said Biden was outraged and saddened by the attack, but before making the call on Thursday, he had made no change to Washington's stance on Israel's steadfast support in its conflict with Hamas.

During the call, Mr. Biden “underscored that concluding an immediate ceasefire agreement is critical to stabilizing and improving the humanitarian situation and protecting innocent civilians.” Mr. Biden urged Mr. Netanyahu to push his negotiators to conclude the agreement and release the hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attack.

In Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel “needs to seize the opportunity” to step up humanitarian assistance and ensure the security of individuals and organizations providing humanitarian aid.

“If we don't see the changes we want, we will change policy.”

"The last straw"

Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.

Israel responded by completely besieging Gaza, carrying out air and ground attacks that killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.

Mr Biden, a self-described Zionist, was fiercely pro-Israel in the early days of the war.

But as the death toll in Gaza mounted and the war spread to front lines in Lebanon and Yemen, his administration began pushing for a ceasefire and stepped up humanitarian aid. Last month, the United States abstained from a UN Security Council vote demanding an immediate ceasefire, a decision that angered Israel.

Mr Biden has also faced strong anger from Democrats over his decisions around the war in Gaza, a development that could hurt his support in the November presidential election when he faces former Republican President Donald Trump.

The attack on WCK aid workers was “the last straw,” said Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East analyst at Johns Hopkins University.

“This call was the ‘wake-up call’ that Mr. Biden has long promised to send to Netanyahu,” Mr. Blumenfeld said.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

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