Journalists write that the US leadership sees the protection of Palestinian civilians in the sector as a moral duty and a strategic imperative for Israel.
US President Joe Biden and his top aides have been pushing Israel to change its war tactics in the Gaza Strip while offering strong public support in recent days. This was reported citing sources from the New York Times.
Although the United States continues to officially say that Israel alone will choose the timing and format of its military operation, privately American officials are asking the Israelis to reduce the number of attacks on the region by mid-January 2024. According to NYT, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin came to Israel with exactly this message.
Instead of the “high-intensity” phase of the war, Israel is encouraged to conduct more focused, intelligence-driven missions to find and kill Hamas leaders, destroy tunnels and other militant infrastructure, and rescue hostages. Washington believes that “Israel’s security will decline if its military operations turn more and more Palestinians into Hamas supporters.”
Important
The next phase of the war in Israel
In a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other Israeli officials, Austin discussed in detail how Israeli forces would move into the next phase of the war, which U.S. officials said would reduce the risk to civilians.
Austin also told reporters that the United States was providing “ambivalent” aid to Israel and supported the IDF’s campaign to destroy the ability of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, to conduct military operations in difficult urban terrain.
Austin said, “Israel has every right to defend itself. However, protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral duty and a strategic imperative for Israel.” said.
He emphasized that every major military operation has phases, and the most difficult part is taking all the nuances into account when moving from one phase to the next.
“This requires detailed and very thoughtful planning,” the US Secretary of Defense said.
He also added that the Israeli army must be as meticulous and disciplined as possible in eliminating Hamas and its infrastructure.
According to the NYT, Austin is well aware of the painful lessons the US military has learned over the past two decades as it transitioned from major ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to more focused operations.
At the same time, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant noted that Israeli officials took America’s concerns seriously and understood why the majority of Gaza’s population had to leave the city. According to him, the newspaper writes that everyone knows that Hamas militants use human shields as protection. Therefore, it is not yet known when Gazans will be allowed to return to their homes.
Let us also remind you that American entrepreneur Elon Musk visited Israel on November 27. One of the purposes of the trip was Musk’s attempt to rebuild his reputation in Jewish communities after he was accused of making a series of anti-Semitic statements.
Source: Focus
Alfred Hart is an accomplished journalist known for his expert analysis and commentary on global affairs. He currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker, where he provides readers with in-depth coverage of the most pressing issues affecting the world today. With a keen insight and a deep understanding of international politics and economics, Alfred’s writing is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the world we live in.