U.S. President Joe Biden has delivered a stern ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding that Israel take immediate action to protect Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza, or face the possibility of reduced support from Washington in Israel’s war against Hamas.
The ultimatum comes in the wake of an Israeli attack that resulted in the death of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), sparking global outrage. Israel has acknowledged the strike as a mistake.
While the White House did not specify the exact measures it expects Israel to take, analysts interpret the implicit threat as potentially slowing down U.S. arms transfers to Israel or tempering U.S. support at the United Nations.
Analyst Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations characterized the situation as a critical moment, likening it to a “come to Jesus” moment, referring to Biden’s recent comment hinting at such a turning point in his relationship with Netanyahu.
Dennis Ross, a veteran U.S. diplomat now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, emphasized that the president is essentially demanding that Israel address humanitarian needs or face potential conditions on military assistance.
Biden, facing re-election in November, has been under pressure to rein in Netanyahu from progressive Democrats concerned about the civilian death toll in Palestine. However, he also faces the risk of alienating pro-Israel independent voters. Thus far, Biden has refrained from setting explicit conditions on arms transfers.
In describing the call between Biden and Netanyahu, the White House stated that Biden called for Israel “to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.”
The White House’s statement also added, “He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was more direct in his remarks as he said, “Look, I’ll just say this: if we don’t see the changes that we need to see, there will be changes in our policy.”
The war began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, prompting an Israeli invasion that has laid waste to much of the densely populated territory and displaced most of its 2.3 million people.
More than 33,000 Palestinians have died, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, of which most were women and children. Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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