Good news, President Biden put the screws on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and now his security cabinet has voted to not only "temporarily" reopen the land-based Erez Crossing but also Israel's Port of Ashdod to finally allow humanitarian aid to reach starving Gazans in the Territory's north. People have been eating only 245 calories at best per day. Famine is rampant and catastrophic in the rubble-studded strip.
Greeting Senators after his State of the Union speech, the president was caught on a hot mic that Netanyahu will have his Come to Jesus moment soon for his stubbornness and war crimes.
Israel’s security cabinet has approved the reopening of Erez crossing between Israel and northern Gaza for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks, an Israeli official told CNN Thursday.
The Israeli official said the crossing would be opened to allow more humanitarian aid to enter blockaded Gaza. The cabinet also approved using the Israeli Port of Ashdod to help transfer more aid to Gaza.
It remains unclear how the reopening will be implemented; the volumes of aid deliveries that have been allowed through crossings in Gaza’s southern border so far have been insufficient compared to the scale of human suffering in the territory.
The United Nations welcomed news of the reopening cautiously. “This is positive news but, of course, we will have to see how this is implemented. We need a humanitarian ceasefire and a massive influx of aid,” spokesperson to the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said Thursday.
The announcement came hours after Biden also called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza following a phone call between the US president and Netanyahu, their first since Israeli airstrikes killed seven employees of the international food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK).
In Thursday’s call, which lasted less than 30 minutes, the US president issued the strongest US rebuke toward Israel since the start of the conflict. He “made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers”, the White House said in a statement.
“He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”
Biden said that an “immediate ceasefire is essential” and urged Israel to reach a deal with Hamas “without delay”, the White House said.
The statement marked a sharp change in Biden’s rhetoric and suggested, for what appears to be the first time, that strings could be attached to continued US support.
I hope this little guy makes it.
Still no news regarding a bombardment and ground invasion of Rafah. The Biden administration is not keen on Israel's "after plans," which is non-existent. Perhaps no news is good news in this case.