Biden and Netanyahu expected to discuss aid worker killings
President Biden and his Israeli counterpart are expected to hold talks over the phone on Thursday afternoon (April 4), AFP reported.
Late last month, Netanyahu planned to send delegates to Washington for a meeting with Biden however talks were cancelled shortly after the United States abstained on a draft resolution at the UN Security Council, thus allowing the motion to pass.
Despite the collection of accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the US has been reluctant to call for a permanent and immediate ceasefire, vetoing a draft at the Security Council calling for such a move on three separate occasions.
However, even Washington cannot defend the indefensible as the phone call will come shortly after seven aid workers, including a US-Canadian dual national, were killed in Deir Al-Balah, southern Gaza. The White House stressed that they were “outraged” by the killings as the international community slowly turns on Israel.
Biden and Netanyahu last spoke on March 18 as the former, and indeed various other US officials, warned of the devastating impact that a ground invasion of the southern Gazan city of Rafah would have.
READ: Outrage as 7 aid workers are killed in Gaza, inquiry ordered
An Israeli delegation is due to visit the White House in the coming days to once again address the Rafah issue.
Understandably, the two world leaders will mostly discuss the killing of numerous World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers, which the Israeli premier claimed was not intentional.
British nationals James Henderson, John Chapman and James Kirby, Australian national Lalzawmi Frankcom, Polish national Damian Sobol, Palestinian Saif Abu Taha and US-Canadian dual national Jacob Flickinger were all killed on April 1.
President Biden wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on April 3 “I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday. Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen.”
AFP
