President Joe Biden effectively gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum, reportedly warning Israel must protect civilians in Gaza or there will be consequences.
Biden warned Netanyahu that Israel could lose American support if civilians kept getting hurt and killed during and hour-long phone call on Thursday.
A senior administration official told CNN the president did not give specifics about how he would consider shifting US policy if Israel does not follow through, but gave a list of changes that need to be made.
The source said Biden and Netanyahu have moments of disagreement on the call, but there was no ‘sparring.’
There is reportedly no follow-up call currently planned between the two leaders, but Friday morning Netanyahu’s office announced it will reopen a key border crossing into northern Gaza.
The prime minister’s security cabinet approved a series of ‘immediate steps,’ including the temporary reopening of the Erez crossing for the first time since the Hamas attack on October 7.
Israel also said it would allow its port in Ashdod to process aid shipments bound for Gaza, as well as permit an increase in Jordanian aid shipments through another land crossing.
‘This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war,’ Netanyahu’s office said.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the administration welcomed the move.
‘As the President said today on the call, US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers,’ she said.
Biden has been under pressure at home and abroad to do more to ensure civilian safety in Gaza. And he’s faced criticism for being angry behind the scenes but not expressing that in public.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the Hamas attack of October 7, which killed 1,200.
A turning point for the president was the Israeli drone strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers, who were delivering food to starving Palestinians in the Gaza strip on Monday.
Jacob Flickinger, 33, was a dual citizen of America and Canada who was killed in the strike. He was a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan.
On their call Thursday, Biden also urged Netanyahu for an immediate ceasefire.
‘He underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home,’ the White House said in its readout.
The White House declined to say what specific steps they wanted to see but made it clear they want to see them soon – within ‘hours and days.’
‘President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,’ the White House said.
‘He made clear the need 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. 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.’
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, ‘There has to be tangible steps, let’s see what [Israelis] announce, let’s see what they do.’
‘We expect that there will be some announcements coming from Israel in the coming hours and days.’
He described Biden as ‘shaken’ by the attack.
‘We’re looking for concrete steps to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza,’ he said. ‘If there’s no changes to their policy and their approaches then there’s going to have to be changes to ours.’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Biden’s message.
‘With regard to our policy in Gaza, look I’ll just say this; If we don’t see the changes that we need to see, there will be a change in our policy,’ he said during a press conference in Brussels where he is attending a NATO meeting.