Biden (right) spoke with Netanyahu for the first time since last February 15 (agencies)
Today, Monday, US President Joe Biden made his first phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in more than a month, while the Washington Post published a report revealing part of the development of the American position regarding the Israeli war on Gaza.
The White House said in a statement, “President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.” This is the first contact between the two men since last February 15.
For his part, Netanyahu said that he spoke with Biden about "Israel's commitment to achieving the goals of the war and eliminating Hamas."
He added, "The introduction of humanitarian aid enables us to achieve the goals of the war by eliminating Hamas and recovering the kidnapped."
The United States is the main supporter of Israel in its war on Gaza politically and militarily, but Biden and Netanyahu exchanged criticism due to differing views on the course of the war, and against the backdrop of a report by US intelligence agencies that suggested the formation of a new and different government in Israel.
Yesterday, Sunday, Netanyahu reaffirmed his readiness to invade Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, saying that international pressure will not prevent the implementation of that attack, which will take a few weeks, according to him. He also criticized what he called friends in the international community, saying, “Did you quickly lose your moral conscience?” Instead of Pressure on Israel... Pressure on Hamas.”
On the other hand, Washington said that any attack on Rafah requires a “credible” plan to protect more than a million Palestinians seeking refuge in the city, and indicated that it had not yet received such a plan from Israel.
"Biden is involved"
Meanwhile, the Washington Post quoted officials in the US administration as saying that Biden's strategy regarding Israel "is heading towards failure", and that the US President found himself, after more than 5 months, "deeply involved in a war that he does not want."
Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip for more than 5 months, leaving tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, amid warnings from international organizations of famine - especially in the northern Gaza Strip - as a result of the occupation restricting the entry of aid.
The Washington Post quoted White House officials as saying that repeated talks with Israel to curb its attack had yielded no significant results.
Officials told the American newspaper that there is extreme frustration and uncertainty among the Biden administration regarding how the war on Gaza will end, and that the administration has concluded that Netanyahu is prioritizing his political survival and “its patience is beginning to run out.”
The newspaper indicated that senior officials informed the Biden administration after the beginning of the war that Israel was bombing civilian buildings on a regular basis.
On the other hand, US Senator Chris Van Hollen told the newspaper that "the gap is large between what Biden demanded of the Netanyahu government and what happened."
Holen stated that he received a US intelligence briefing regarding the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, which contradicts the positions of the Biden administration.
On Monday morning, the Israeli occupation army stormed the Al-Shifa Complex for the second time since the beginning of the war, leading to the death and injury of a number of Palestinians, according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, US Senator Bernie Sanders said that Washington "almost alone defends Netanyahu's extremist government in its comprehensive war on the Palestinians."
Sanders emphasized that Israel is violating the law, and that Americans as a nation should not be complicit in starving children.
Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies + The Washington Post