Biden again criticises Israeli military operation in Gaza
The war in Gaza is causing small rifts in US-Israeli relations. Despite strong, historic and close bilateral ties, the Israeli military operation in the Palestinian enclave is creating some tensions between the two allies.
Once again, US President Joe Biden has criticised Israel's actions in Gaza, calling Jerusalem's military response to Hamas attacks on 7 October "excessive".
"There are a lot of innocent people starving, a lot of innocent people suffering and dying, and it has to stop," Biden said during a press conference at the White House. "My view is that the response in Gaza has been excessive," he added.
Biden's comments coincide with increased Israeli attacks on Rafah, a town where thousands of Gazans have taken refuge and which Washington says is at risk of a "disaster".
In this sense, Biden assured that he is working to ensure that aid reaches the Palestinian territory, adding that the president of Egypt, Abdel Fatah al Sisi, initially "did not want to open the border to allow humanitarian assistance to enter", although he finally managed to convince him.
President Biden calls Israel's conduct in Gaza "over the top," and says he is "pushing very hard" for a sustained pause to the fighting. pic.twitter.com/59En2DfFVB
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 9, 2024
While it is true that the actions of the extreme right-wing Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, such as the controversial judicial reform, have already caused a certain rift between Jerusalem and Washington, the current situation in Gaza has led the Biden Administration to launch its harshest criticism to date against its main ally in the Middle East.
Last December, Biden warned that Israel risked losing support for its "indiscriminate" bombardment of Gaza. This was the harshest public comment against Israel by the US president since the start of the war.
Biden also slammed the Israeli government, which he called the "most conservative in Israel's history", and its stance on the two-state solution. The Israeli government, as well as part of the opposition, currently opposes this initiative and rejects the creation of a Palestinian state. In contrast, the US supports it and hopes that once the war is over the Palestinian Authority will administer Gaza with the help of neighbouring countries.
I met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Abbas in Ramallah today to reiterate U.S. support for reforming the PA and establishing an independent Palestinian state. pic.twitter.com/9Gi5QMRihH
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 7, 2024
Biden's latest statements coincide with a new visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region in which he has focused on advancing a deal to free the more than 100 hostages still held hostage in Gaza.
Despite Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas's conditions and his pledge to continue military pressure on the terrorist group, Blinken has been optimistic about a possible deal. The US chief diplomat also launched a minor criticism of Jerusalem, saying that Israel should not "dehumanise" the Palestinians as Hamas did the Israelis on 7 October.
