Top White House officials to visit Israel to seek reduction in civilian losses in Gaza

바이든, 안보수장 이스라엘 파견 내달 ’전면 지상전’ 중단되나 Turning to the Israel-Hamas war. Amid U.S. President Joe Biden calling for a change in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline approach over Gaza, he will be sending his top security adviser and defense chief to Israel sooner than later. Moon Hye-ryeon explains what this could bring to the conflict in the war zone. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is set to travel to Israel within the week to discuss a timetable for the war as Israel and its longtime ally, the United States, face diplomatic isolation over bombings in Gaza. Another top White House official, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, will visit next week to reiterate U.S. President Joe Biden’s message to protect civilian lives in the war-torn region. Biden warned his Israeli counterpart that the “indiscriminate bombing“ against Hamas was hurting global support – proven by the non-binding resolution passed in the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday which called for a humanitarian ceasefire. An overwhelming majority of 153 countries voted in favor, while only 10 – including the U.S. – voted against, showing the consensus regarding the conflict. Biden also said that Netanyahu needed to change his government dominated by hardline right parties – calling it the “most conservative government in Israel’s history” – as they ultimately “can’t say no” to an independent Palestinian state. The Israeli prime minister admitted that while there was a disagreement between the two allies, he expressed hope that the two sides could reach an agreement regarding what he called the “post-Hamas” Gaza Strip. While Sullivan is due to hold talks about this matter, Netanyahu is against Biden’s idea to allow the Palestinian Authority to govern the Gaza Strip following the end of the armed conflict. This rift between the U.S. and Israel and the show of global support for a ceasefire comes amid continued air strikes in the enclave – creating what the chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has called “hell on Earth.” Hamas officials said that at least 50 people were killed in the bombings following the UN General Assembly meeting. More than 18,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, with many being women or children. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that there are 135 hostages still being held captive by Hamas, while the Israeli government commented that 19 are presumed to have been killed. Moon Hye-ryeon, Arirang News. #Israel #Gaza #Hamas #UnitedStates #Reduction #이스라엘 #하마스 #미국 #지상전 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-12-13, 18:00 (KST)