US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to hold a conversation on Thursday, according to a US official. This communication marks their first discussion since an Israeli airstrike resulted in the deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza.
Biden’s expression of outrage following the incident emphasized the need for Israel to enhance efforts to safeguard aid workers and civilians.
“I can confirm President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu will speak tomorrow,” stated a US official familiar with the situation on Wednesday.
Netanyahu has stated that the Israeli military unintentionally caused the deaths of the aid workers in Gaza during Monday’s attack. Among the victims were a US-Canadian national, three Britons, a Pole, an Australian, and a Palestinian.
However, Biden has emerged as a prominent voice of international condemnation. On Tuesday, he issued one of his strongest rebukes of Israel’s actions since the conflict with Hamas began following the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Expressing his outrage and sorrow over the deaths, Biden emphasized that incidents like the one on Monday should not occur. The White House acknowledged Biden’s increasing frustration with Israel’s failure to protect aid workers and civilians, despite repeated appeals to Netanyahu.
“I believe you can detect the frustration conveyed in that statement,” remarked US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby to reporters.
However, the White House emphasized that Biden remained committed to Israel’s “right to defend itself,” with no intentions to reduce arms shipments to the crucial US ally.
Tensions between Democratic President Biden and hard-right leader Netanyahu have escalated.
Their last conversation occurred on March 18, during which Biden urged Netanyahu to refrain from launching a ground offensive on the southern city of Rafah.
An Israeli delegation is scheduled to visit Washington next week for discussions on the matter.
Netanyahu initially canceled the visit in protest of the United States abstaining on a UN Security Council motion supporting a ceasefire in Gaza. However, he later reversed his decision.
