Pressure is mounting on Israel after the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
Following US President Joe Biden’s warning to Israel on Wednesday that it risks losing international support over its “indiscriminate” bombing of the enclave, a host of Israel’s allies called for a ceasefire -fire.
Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other allies issued a rare joint statement calling for an end to hostilities and expressing concern “over the diminishing safety space for civilians in Gaza.”
The UNGA resolution demanding a ceasefire was passed on Tuesday with the support of 153 members out of 193. The United States, Israel and eight other states voted against the resolution.
Despite maintaining his support, the American president made his most virulent public criticism of Israel since the start of its war against Hamas.
“(Israel) has the support of most of the world, but they’re starting to lose that support because of the indiscriminate bombing that’s happening,” Biden told supporters at a campaign fundraising event.
Washington has for weeks been calling on Israel to be more careful to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, saying too many Palestinians have been killed.
Extreme
Biden also suggested that the United States views the Israeli government as extreme, expressing concern that the “most conservative government in Israel’s history” is making progress in resolving the conflict “difficult.”
“He (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) must change this government,” Biden said, naming Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The US president insisted that Israel “can’t say no” to a Palestinian state, naming Ben-Gvir among the hardline government members who have rejected a two-state solution.
Netanyahu said there was a “disagreement” with Biden over how Gaza would be governed after the conflict.
The Israeli government has categorically refused to consider a long-term ceasefire in Gaza until all prisoners captured by Hamas in the October 7 raids are released. However, some members of the Tel Aviv administration admitted that the operation’s “window of legitimacy” could be closing, according to the AFP news agency.
The White House will send national security adviser Jake Sullivan to Israel this week on a trip that Biden said will once again emphasize the United States’ commitment to Israel, but also the need to protect the lives of civilians in Gaza.
However, analysts suggest Biden should do more to pressure the Israeli prime minister.
“Biden is more popular than Netanyahu in Israel. Netanyahu is not trusted by most Israelis,” observed Marwan Bishara, senior political analyst at Tel Aviv Tribune.
According to Bishara, now is the time for Biden to pressure Netanyahu to change course on Gaza, including implementing an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
“Biden must terminate Netanyahu” if he refuses to comply with the US position, he said.
Mohammed Cherkaoui, a professor at George Mason University, noted that Biden may be considering upping the ante via US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to the region next week.
“Biden is no longer supportive of the current Israeli government, especially when Biden named Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli minister of national security, as someone who should not be part of the government,” Cherkaoui told Tel Aviv Tribune.
The White House has “reached its limits”, he said, with Israel lacking a clear strategy to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas and the death toll in Gaza, which has exceeded 18,000, continues to increase.
“If Netanyahu was counting on at least two more months, December and January, to fulfill his military mission, I don’t think it will last that long, so we will likely see some American pressure to end the war before the end of 2023. “, he suggested.
“Continuing suffering”
Australia, Canada and New Zealand all voted in favor of the UNGA resolution calling for a ceasefire, despite their close ties to Israel.
“The price of Hamas’s defeat cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” the trio’s leaders said in a joint statement.
Pope Francis, leader of the world’s approximately 1.35 billion Catholics, renewed his call on Wednesday for an “immediate” ceasefire and pleaded for an end to the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians.
More than 18,000 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 injured in the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7, according to Palestinian health officials. Many other deaths are recorded under the rubble or beyond the reach of ambulances.
Israel launched its offensive in response to a raid by Hamas fighters from Gaza that killed around 1,100 people and captured nearly 240 others in southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
