Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, advises Israel to lessen the ferocity of its military attack in Gaza.
Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, advises Israel to lessen the ferocity of its military attack in Gaza.
According to U.S. sources speaking to ABC News, national security advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel on Thursday bearing a direct message from the Biden administration pleading with the Israeli government to reduce the ferocity of its extensive military campaign in Gaza as soon as feasible.
The administration, according to the officials, will support Israel in its efforts to eliminate Hamas, but it anticipates that the nation's approach will change from an all-out attack to more focused, tactical operations meant to kill Hamas' leaders and hideouts while also rescuing captives.
During a press briefing on Thursday, White House spokesperson John Kirby declined to provide a precise timeline for the transition but stated that Sullivan had discussed it "during the near future" in his in-person meetings with Israeli War Cabinet members and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At his meeting with Netanyahu, Kirby reported, Sullivan also reaffirmed American support for Israel and the administration's pledge to free the numerous hostages still detained by Hamas. However, Sullivan also "asked hard questions" regarding the next stage of Israel's offensive and "discussed efforts Israel is now undertaking to be more surgical and precise in their targeting."
In addition, President Joe Biden stated on Thursday that he believes Israel should "be more careful" in their attacks in Gaza and concentrate on "how to save civilian lives" as the number of victims rises.
During a National Institutes of Health event on Thursday, he stated, "I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives, not stop going after a Hamas, but be more careful."
The president was asked if he supported Israel reducing the intensity of its attack on Gaza by the end of the year, as stated by The New York Times, but he chose not to respond.
While Israeli officials have not yet made any public statements regarding their engagements, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly warned Sullivan that Israel would still need to wage months of battle to completely destroy Hamas.
One possible danger to the U.S.-Israeli alliance is divergent perspectives about the duration of the full-fledged battle. The commitment of the Biden administration has also been put to the test by the mounting domestic and international resistance to the conflict.
According to a senior State Department official, Israel has provided hazy estimates about the duration of its campaign in past closed-door discussions with U.S. officials; yet, its early operations in northern Gaza were finished sooner than both countries had anticipated.
In the wake of Hamas' terrorist attack on October 7, Sullivan, the president's principal counselor, is among a select group of high-ranking Washington officials who have been visiting the Middle East regularly. The administration's goal is to show support for Israel, restrain its retaliation, and defuse tensions with neighboring nations to avoid a regional war.
According to senior sources, the administration's shuttle diplomacy plan has a specific objective for each leg, such as persuading the Israeli government to permit the delivery of critically needed aid to Gaza or to impose humanitarian pauses in hostilities.
The administration's demand for accuracy in Israel's military operations comes just days after Biden, according to a White House transcript, made some of his most damning remarks about Israel's battle tactics to date at a campaign fundraiser. He said that the nation was starting to lose support from other countries because of "the indiscriminate bombing that takes place."
Even if the United States hasn't opened an inquiry into the possibility that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza, administration representatives have openly voiced their shock at the high number of deaths that have occurred in the territory.
Since October 7, more than 18,000 people have died in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. The Israeli prime minister's office claims that during Hamas' attacks, over 1,200 people died in Israel.
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