Last night, Joe Biden issued perhaps his harshest criticism yet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the invasion of Gaza. But he still seems unwilling to actually pressure Israel to stop the killing.
– I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach, the US president said.
Israel’s bloody invasion of Gaza continues. Its military is currently preparing a major ground offensive against Rafah on the border with Egypt. About one million Palestinians live in the town – most of them refugees forced to seek shelter there during the ongoing war – and human rights organizations warn that Israel’s ground offensive could cost many thousands of civilian lives.
Israel’s main ally, the United States, has been heavily criticized by the international community for its inaction during the invasion, and for continuing to supply arms and aid and making no effort to establish a cease-fire or bring in supplies for the starving population.
Nor does Joe Biden seem interested in issuing an actual ultimatum to the Israeli leadership – despite increasing pressure from within his own party. Last night, however, he made perhaps his most critical statement yet against Benjamin Netanyahu’s war policy:
– I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach, Biden said in an interview with Univision.
“Outrageous” attack
– What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country … there’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now, he continued.
The president also called the Israeli attack that killed seven foreign aid workers in Gaza “outrageous”.
In the United States, however, the Israel lobby wields enormous political influence, and there is currently no indication that president Biden or other US officials intend to force an end to Netanyahu’s invasion or end their support for the country.
