The US hinted on Friday at disagreement with Israel over how quickly to scale down the war in Gaza, with President Joe Biden’s national security adviser saying such timing was now the subject of “intensive discussion” between the allies.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, visited Israel on Thursday and Friday, and US officials briefed journalists that he was carrying a message to Israel to scale down the broad military campaign and transition to more narrowly targeted operations against Hamas leaders.The NYT quoted four US officials as saying Biden wanted that to happen in around three weeks. But speaking to reporters, Sullivan avoided a direct answer about the timing. “There will be a transition to another phase of this war, one that is focused in more precise ways on targeting the leadership and on intelligence-driven operations,” he said. “When exactly that happens and under exactly what conditions will be a continuing intensive discussion between the US and Israel,” he said. During Sullivan’s visit, Israeli officials publicly emphasised that they would carry on the war until they achieve their stated aim of eradicating Hamas. Netanyahu told Sullivan on Thursday Israel would fight “until absolute victory”. Defence minister Yoav Gallant said the war would “last more than several months”.
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said Israel was winning the war and degrading Hamas, citing as evidence a reduction in the number of rockets fired into Israel. But hours later there were sirens in Jerusalem and explosions overhead from at least three rocket interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome air defences, for the first time in weeks. The armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility.
Sullivan did appear to obtain one major concession from Israel, which announced shortly after he left that it would open the main road link into Gaza for aid shipments for the first time since the war began, which it said would allow aid deliveries to double. Previously, aid permitted into Gaza has been trucked to Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, inspected there, and then trucked back into Egypt to enter through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing, designed mainly for pedestrians. The Israeli cabinet said its decision to do so would allow 200 trucks per day to bring supplies into Gaza, compared to a capacity of just 100 at Rafah. Sullivan said Washington welcomed “this significant step”, which he said he had been informed of before he left.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, visited Israel on Thursday and Friday, and US officials briefed journalists that he was carrying a message to Israel to scale down the broad military campaign and transition to more narrowly targeted operations against Hamas leaders.The NYT quoted four US officials as saying Biden wanted that to happen in around three weeks. But speaking to reporters, Sullivan avoided a direct answer about the timing. “There will be a transition to another phase of this war, one that is focused in more precise ways on targeting the leadership and on intelligence-driven operations,” he said. “When exactly that happens and under exactly what conditions will be a continuing intensive discussion between the US and Israel,” he said. During Sullivan’s visit, Israeli officials publicly emphasised that they would carry on the war until they achieve their stated aim of eradicating Hamas. Netanyahu told Sullivan on Thursday Israel would fight “until absolute victory”. Defence minister Yoav Gallant said the war would “last more than several months”.
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said Israel was winning the war and degrading Hamas, citing as evidence a reduction in the number of rockets fired into Israel. But hours later there were sirens in Jerusalem and explosions overhead from at least three rocket interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome air defences, for the first time in weeks. The armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility.
Sullivan did appear to obtain one major concession from Israel, which announced shortly after he left that it would open the main road link into Gaza for aid shipments for the first time since the war began, which it said would allow aid deliveries to double. Previously, aid permitted into Gaza has been trucked to Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, inspected there, and then trucked back into Egypt to enter through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing, designed mainly for pedestrians. The Israeli cabinet said its decision to do so would allow 200 trucks per day to bring supplies into Gaza, compared to a capacity of just 100 at Rafah. Sullivan said Washington welcomed “this significant step”, which he said he had been informed of before he left.