US President Joe Biden and his team have markedly shifted their tone on the Israel-Hamas crisis.
US President Joe Biden has demonstrated unwavering support for Israel's security over a half century in public life. In this photo, Biden attends a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023.
A White House official said the shift in tone was based on “the facts on the ground” in Gaza with a humanitarian crisis worsening and the Biden team’s “conversations with countries around the world.” The administration had not expected Palestinian casualties to mount as fast as they have – now more than 7 000 dead in Gaza, local officials say – or for the humanitarian situation to deteriorate so rapidly, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.
Biden’s aides are urging their Israeli counterparts to take more time to carefully think through their exit strategy before a full-scale ground invasion, one US source said. In rare comments on an active foreign policy crisis Obama, Biden’s Democratic predecessor and former boss, warned this week that Israel cutting off food and water to Gaza could “harden Palestinian attitudes for generations.”When Hamas militants burst out of Gaza and attacked southern Israel on October 7, Biden offered full-throated support for Israel, saying he relayed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “Israel has the right to defend itself and its people. Full stop.
A day later, Kirby and Blinken advocated for one publicly. The shift followed a plea from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for civilians to be protected and increasingly desperate appeals from UN organizations to allow in aid.
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