About 70 former American government officials, diplomats, and retired military officers called on US President Joe Biden to take a tougher stance against Israel today (Thursday). In a letter they sent to the President, they demanded that he warn Israel of serious consequences if it violates human rights in Gaza, ignores the basic needs of the Palestinians, or expands settlements in Judea and Samaria, according to a Reuters report.
"The US must be prepared to take concrete action to oppose such practices," they wrote in the letter, "including restrictions on the provision of aid in accordance with US law and policy."
Among the signatories were more than a dozen former ambassadors, as well as other retired State Department, Pentagon, intelligence, and White House officials, including Anthony Lake, national security adviser to former President Bill Clinton.
The letter emphasized the growing displeasure in the United States over Israeli actions against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip following the October 7th massacre, in which about 1,200 people were murdered and 253 taken hostage.
"Tens of thousands of Gazans have been killed, most of them women and children," the group said. "The killing of civilians of this type and magnitude cannot be justified." The group said it strongly supports Biden's call for an immediate truce of at least six weeks, the establishment of a reliable system for the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the release of Israeli hostages.
Yesterday (Wednesday) it was reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed tensions with the US administration regarding the continuation of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
"Already at the beginning we agreed that Hamas should be eliminated. But during the war, it's no secret, we had differences of opinion on the best way to achieve this goal," said the Prime Minister.
"At the beginning of the (war), I told the President: Hamas cannot be defeated without the IDF entering the Gaza Strip. In our last conversation, I told him: It is impossible to complete the victory without the IDF entering Rafah, and this in order to eliminate the rest of the Hamas battalions."
I want you to know that I have already approved the IDF's operational plan, and soon we will also approve the plan to evacuate the civilian population from the battle zones."
"President Biden, whose support I appreciate, asked to present to us his proposals both in the humanitarian field and on other issues. And as I said - there were times when we agreed with our friends, and there were times when we did not agree with them. In the end, we always did what was essential for our security, and that's what we will do this time as well," added Netanyahu.
