US officials say Biden not putting enough pressure on Israel: Report

Seven current and former US government officials have expressed dissatisfaction, saying President Joe Biden is not “putting enough pressure” on Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel attacked workers of World Central Kitchen, a food charity in Gaza last week.

The pressure by Biden on Israel “did not go far enough” and would fail to manage the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the seven officials told BBC. Demanding a halt on arms transfers from the US to Israel, the officials said that dissent within the Biden administration was becoming “deeper, wider and more despairing”.

After the deadly attack on a convoy of the food charity that killed seven aid workers including a US-Canadian national, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had assured he would open new aid routes to Gaza, as the Biden administration warned of a policy reassessment.

Annelle Sheline, an official working in human rights, had quit the State Department in protest two weeks ago, calling Biden’s tougher stand “too little, too late.” She said that the situation in Gaza would have been better had the White House taken the steps months ago.

Of those who spoke to the BBC on a condition of anonymity, were four current US government officials, one of whom said Israel was doing the “bare minimum”. The official said that Biden’s actions following Israel’s attack on the aid workers in Gaza did not reflect any “moral urgency”.

“I read it as Israel doing the bare minimum to get through the day and avoid arms transfers being halted,” the official told the BBC.

Following the attack on the WCK workers in Gaza, Biden had Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and reach a hostage deal “without delay”.

Biden’s call to Natanyahu resulted in the Israel government pledging to improve security coordination with groups providing aid to Palestinians and ensure the opening of the Erez crossing in northern Gaza and the port of Ashdod in southern Israel to facilitate aid.

On Monday, April 8, President Biden said it would be a ‘mistake’ when Netanyahu vowed that Israel would eliminate Hamas brigades in Gaza, including in Rafah.

In his latest statement, Joe Biden called on Israel to go for a ceasefire with Hamas and ensure food and medicine aid to Gaza.

A State Department spokesperson said that the US had “been clear at the highest levels publicly and privately with Israel that it must abide by international humanitarian law.”