US President Joe Biden departs on Tuesday for a whirlwind trip to Israel and Jordan to get an update on Israel’s war objectives in the looming battle with Hamas militants and emphasize the need to get humanitarian aid to Gaza citizens.
Meeting with Netanyahu, Abdullah, Al-Sisi, Abbas
Mr Biden is expected to spend part of Wednesday in Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, as Israel prepares a ground offensive aimed at eliminating Hamas militants in Gaza who have killed 1,300 people in a disaster through southern Israeli cities in October. 7.
Mr Biden will then fly to Amman for talks on speeding up humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In Amman, he will meet Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has long opposed Hamas and whose organization exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Humanitarian concerns in Gaza
Biden’s second trip to a war zone this year — he visited Ukraine in February — carries some risk. His goal will be to show American solidarity with Mr. Netanyahu while avoiding a broader regional war between Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and Syria.
The United States has stationed a strike group in the eastern Mediterranean as a show of force for Israel, and a second is on its way.
Mr Biden also wants to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where authorities say more than 2,800 people have been killed in Israeli bombings over the past week.
Hundreds of tons of aid from various countries have been waiting for days in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, awaiting an agreement on its safe delivery to Gaza and the evacuation of some foreign passport holders through the Rafah border crossing.
“He will make it clear that we want to continue working with all our partners in the region, including Israel, to get humanitarian aid in and provide some kind of safe passage for civilians to get out,” the national security spokesperson said. the White House, John. Kirby.
Israel red lines
Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu, who have been thrown into a war partnership despite deep political differences over the way forward in the Middle East, have joined forces.
Mr Biden has given Israel full support while emphasizing the need to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Their face-to-face meeting, after several phone calls since the October 7 attacks by Hamas, will allow Mr Biden to privately discuss concerns and possible red lines in the coming invasion of Gaza.
Mr Biden will also receive an update on the dozens of hostages taken by Hamas.
The State Department has said 29 American citizens have been killed in the Hamas attacks in Israel, with 15 civilians and one lawful permanent resident missing.
Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas movement.
Mr. Biden will make clear that “Israel has the right and even the obligation to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and prevent future attacks,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after hours of talks with Israel’s war cabinet in Tel Aviv. .
He said Israel would brief Mr. Biden on its war aims and strategy and on how it will conduct operations “in a manner that minimizes civilian casualties and allows humanitarian aid to flow to civilians in Gaza in a manner that does not benefit Hamas.”
The US and Israel agreed to develop a plan that would allow humanitarian aid from donor countries and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza, Mr Blinken said.
This story was reported by Reuters. Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Tel Aviv.