Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Joe Biden Thursday, days after an Israeli airstrike led to the unintentional deaths of seven humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip.
Biden called on Netanyahu to increase humanitarian efforts in the strip and said Israel needed to "announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers," a White House readout of the phone call said.
He added that "US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps," as per the readout.
During a White House press briefing on Thursday afternoon, John Kirby, the White House national security communications advisor, declined to say what specific policy changes Washington would make if Israel failed to meet US conditions.
"If we don't see changes from their side, there'll have to be changes from our side," Kirby said. "There has to be tangible steps. Let's see what they announce. Let's see what they direct. Let's see what they do."
Thursday's call is the first publicly acknowledged time Netanyahu and Biden have spoken since the passage of a UN Security Council resolution in March that called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. It did so in the same sentence but without explicitly tying the two together. That resolution passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining.
Biden used similar language on Thursday, per the White House readout.
"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 stated.
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
