2023-12-10 00:15:00
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has once more called on Israel to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli leadership has taken important additional steps in this direction, Blinken said on Thursday following a meeting with his British colleague David Cameron in Washington. However, there is still a gap between what he suggested during his recent visit to Tel Aviv and what actual results can be observed.
Blinken said, for example, that it was not just regarding setting up safe zones, but also communicating regarding them in such a way that people actually knew where they might flee, when exactly and how. In addition, there must be food, water and medicine for the refugees in such security zones.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron (left) and US Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken. (December 7, 2023)
AFP/Saul Loeb
“This is something we talk to the Israelis regarding on a regular basis,” he emphasized. US President Joe Biden also addressed this in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. “We are aware of the extraordinary difficulty of this task, as Israel is dealing with a terrorist opponent” who is deliberately mixing with civilians, Blinken said. Nevertheless, Israel is obliged to do everything it can to protect civilians.
There is great criticism of Israel’s actions once morest the Islamist Hamas in Gaza due to the high number of victims among the Palestinian civilian population. In the first weeks of the war, the US government refrained from issuing public advice and focused on unconditional support for Israel. Recently, however, the tone changed noticeably.
During a visit to Tel Aviv at the end of November, Blinken warned that “before resuming major military operations, Israel must put in place humanitarian plans to protect the civilian population that minimize further casualties among innocent Palestinians.” US Vice President Kamala Harris also said a few days ago: “We believe that Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians.” Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. (DPA)
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