Biden ultimatum to Netanyahu, US policy change on Gaza

Last Updated on April 5, 2024 8:00 am

US President Joe Biden has given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum to stop killing civilians in the Gaza Strip. He said that the United States will not support Israel in the fight against Hamas unless the killing of Gazan civilians and aid workers stops.

Biden made the ultimatum and threat during a telephone conversation with Netanyahu on Thursday. White House officials confirmed the matter. Reuters news.

The White House said, “He (Joe Biden) has made it clear that US policy on Gaza will be determined after our assessment of the immediate steps Israel takes to address the issues.”

Although the White House did not say it directly, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a very clear statement about this. He said, ‘Look, I’ll just say this—if we don’t see the changes that we want to see, then we will change our policy (on aid to Israel).’

However, the White House did not comment on whether the United States had given the Israeli prime minister any specific advice to stop civilian casualties in Gaza. But analysts say the threat means the United States could take steps to reduce its support for Israel at the United Nations and slow the supply of arms to the country.

Steven Cook, an analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, an analyst at the US think tank Council on Foreign Relations, pointed to the shift in relations between Netanyahu and Biden as saying, ‘It’s almost like a face-to-face meeting with Jesus.’ Moved away from the position and took a positive decision.

Dennis Ross, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, another US think tank, and a senior former US diplomat, said, ‘The president (Biden) is basically telling (Netanyahu), meet these humanitarian needs or I have no choice but to impose conditions on (military) aid. There will not be.’