ARAB AND WORLD
Sat 27 Jan 2024 7:12 am - Jerusalem Time
Axios: Biden tells Netanyahu that he will not participate in the war on Gaza for a year
American officials revealed that President Joe Biden, last week, pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce what Washington and Tel Aviv describe as the Israeli military operation in Gaza, stressing that he would not participate in it for a year of war, according to what the Axios website reported.
Biden's comments during the call, which took place last Friday, reportedly reflect growing American concern about the continuation of the war and Biden's desire to see it end long before the November elections.
A Biden adviser said the White House is deeply concerned about losing young voters, many of whom oppose the president's policy on the Gaza war.
A source close to the White House said that Biden cannot tolerate war and the rising death toll to continue to dominate the news cycle as the election approaches.
A US official revealed that at least a third of Biden's 40-minute call with Netanyahu on January 19 focused on the Israeli timetable for transitioning to low-intensity operations across the Gaza Strip and Israel's war strategy as a whole.
Netanyahu had said the previous day that the war would continue “for many more months.” Speaking with Netanyahu about the comment, Biden urged Netanyahu to move more quickly toward low-intensity operations that would reduce civilian casualties, two US officials said.
US officials said that Biden asked Netanyahu several times about his plan and strategy in Gaza, and said that he did not understand the “final status” that Netanyahu envisions for the Strip.
The officials added that Netanyahu told Biden that the transition to low-intensity fighting had occurred in northern Gaza and would occur in the south, but that Israel needed more time than it initially thought.
Netanyahu also claimed that Hamas would return if Israeli forces left Gaza now.
During the call, Biden asked Netanyahu to allow a UN mission to go to northern Gaza to assess conditions for the future return of Palestinian civilians, according to a source familiar with the conversation.
He also requested that flour be transported through the Israeli port of Ashdod (the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948) to Gaza, and that Israel help facilitate the delivery of aid from Jordan through the “Kerem Shalom” border crossing between Israel and the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The source said that Netanyahu agreed to the three requests. But it is unclear when Israel might act on it.
A source familiar with the call said that a large part of the call between Netanyahu and Biden focused on the ongoing talks with the aim of reaching an agreement to secure the release of more than 130 hostages still being held in Gaza. .
US officials acknowledged that reaching a new agreement on the hostages may be the only way that could lead to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Brett McGurk, Biden's senior Middle East adviser, visited Egypt and Qatar this week to discuss hostage negotiations.
Biden has reportedly become increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu in recent weeks.
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Axios: Biden tells Netanyahu that he will not participate in the war on Gaza for a year