12/14/2023–|Last updated: 12/14/202307:40 PM (Mecca time)
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv on Thursday, during a visit aimed at discussing the duration of the war on Gaza and its aftermath.
Sullivan held a one-on-one meeting with Netanyahu, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, without details about the course of the meeting. The American official also participates in a meeting of the Israeli War Council.
Netanyahu had preceded his meeting with Sullivan by saying that international pressure would not stop military operations in the Gaza Strip, expressing his hope to reach a consensus with Washington regarding the status of the Strip after the war.
As for the Israeli Defense Minister, he told Sullivan in a separate meeting that “dismantling” the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) requires “a long period extending more than several months,” according to a statement issued by his office.
Israeli media said that Gallant also told Sullivan that the war would continue and that Israel needed continued American support.
They also discussed returning Israelis to settlements near the border with Lebanon after the displacement of tens of thousands of them due to mutual bombing with Hezbollah.
For more than 9 weeks, the Israeli occupation army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that, as of Thursday evening, has left 18,787 martyrs and 50,897 wounded, according to the Ministry of Health in the Strip.
American support
Israel ignored calls for a ceasefire, supported by the United States, which supplies it with thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition via an air bridge, and provides it with political cover, as it used its veto in the UN Security Council a few days ago to block a resolution calling for an end to the war.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Sullivan will discuss with the Israelis the need for their strikes to be more accurate, as he put it.
For his part, US President Joe Biden said the day before Tuesday that Israel had begun to lose international support due to its “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza. He also called on Netanyahu to change his government because it “does not want a two-state solution.”
Kamala Harris tips
On the other hand, the American magazine Politico quoted a source close to the office of US Vice President Kamala Harris that she believes that Washington should be more strict with Netanyahu.
The source added that Harris called for her country to be more forceful in seeking long-term peace and achieving the two-state solution.
According to the magazine, Harris told her colleagues in the administration that she wanted the White House to show more concern about the humanitarian damage in Gaza.
It also urged officials, including the US President, to show more sensitivity towards Palestinian civilians.
Source : Tel Aviv Tribune + Agencies + Israeli press
