CNN quoted a senior US administration official as saying that not everyone in the White House agrees on the stated position that Israel is responding to American warnings about reducing civilian casualties in Gaza.
The American official said, “We do not feel comfortable using the word ‘accept’ in reference to Israel’s reaction to American advice regarding the military operation in Gaza.”
According to this official, the White House is deeply concerned about the development of Israeli military operations in southern Gaza.
He said that the talks with Israel regarding not repeating what it did in the northern Gaza Strip were difficult, firm and direct.
He stressed that the White House is keen to avoid any public confrontation with Israel regarding its military operation, “and the approach followed is to provide advice cautiously behind the scenes.”
According to these leaks, what is said in secret is different from what is said in public.
Praise publicly
Publicly, the administration of President Joe Biden confirms that its pressure on Israel has yielded results regarding the implementation of more precise military operations and its keenness to reduce civilian casualties.
US Vice President Kamala Harris said, “I think they are starting to listen,” in her response to journalists who asked her about the extent to which Israel accepts American advice to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.
So far, Israel has killed more than 16,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, most of whom are women and children.
But US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Washington does not see any evidence that Israel is deliberately killing civilians.
Likewise, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that there is no evidence that Israel intentionally kills civilians, while there is no dispute that Hamas is doing so, as he put it.
Although it killed several journalists in Gaza and Lebanon, Blinken said that there is no evidence that Israel intentionally targets journalists.
