Middle East - Gaza Strip: USA backs weakening of ground offensive
Following talks with the Israeli leadership, the US government expects the "high-intensity" ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to transition to "more targeted" military operations.
There had never been an expectation that there would be a major destructive ground operation indefinitely, said a senior representative of the US government in Tel Aviv. The aim was for Israel to concentrate more closely on specific targets and military infrastructure in the future. He was speaking about the meetings of the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, in Israel - including with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This transition was discussed in these meetings.
No timeframe for the transition
However, the US government representative did not specify a timeframe for the transition. "It's not really about timeframes, it's about the terms that are set, and the Israelis have given us very detailed information about the phases of their entire campaign," he said. The "New York Times" had previously reported that Washington had called on Israel to end the ground offensive in Gaza by the end of the year. The government representative did not explicitly address this report, but said: "There have been some reports about the time frame and I have to say that they are not entirely accurate."
"I think the Israelis had ideas for the military operation very early on, which we thought was problematic," he added. This had been discussed with the Israeli government and the military operation had been "adjusted based on some of our advice, some of our recommendations". The US government reiterated that Israel must do everything in its power to protect the civilian population.
Meeting between Sullivan and Abbas
The US government representative also announced that Security Advisor Sullivan would meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Friday. With a view to the end of the war and the future of the Gaza Strip, the US government representative spoke of a "number of security forces linked to the Palestinian Authority". These could "form a kind of core" in the months after the war. "But that's something we're discussing with the Palestinians and the Israelis and with regional partners," he said.
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Source: www.stern.de
