The gap between the Biden administration and Netanyahu government over Gaza’s future is widening

There is growing tension between the Biden administration and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government over the future of Gaza and Israeli military tactics.

Biden administration officials are increasingly at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over how it is conducting its military assault on Hamas and how the two countries envision the political future of Gaza, current and former U.S. officials say.

Amid dire scenes from hospitals in Gaza and a rising civilian death toll, frustration is building among administration officials who have repeatedly appealed to Netanyahu and his government to take more action to protect Palestinian civilians and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

“We are concerned that they aren’t doing everything possible to reduce civilian casualties,” said one administration official. The comments came as Israeli forces moved in on Gaza City’s main hospital, where they said Hamas militants have been operating from an underground command center.

The friction between the two governments is over crucial long-term questions about who will govern the Palestinian enclave after Israel completes its military offensive. That includes the role of the Palestinian Authority — which currently governs the West Bank — and reviving diplomatic efforts for a two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state, current and former officials said.

“There’s a looming gap between the U.S. and Israel on where we’re going to be in a month or two,” one former U.S. official said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gap-biden-netanyahu-gaza-future-widening-rcna96504

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