UN vote and Biden criticism: pressure on Israel over Gaza bombing grows
Biden said at a campaign event in Washington on Tuesday that "most of the world" had backed Israel after the Hamas attack. "But they're about to lose that support because of the indiscriminate bombing that's taking place." At a later press conference, however, Biden was more cautious: the US stands with Israel, but there is great concern about "the safety of innocent Palestinians".
At the campaign event, Biden also denied that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was prepared to accept a two-state solution. "This is the most conservative government in the history of Israel," said the US President. It does not want a two-state solution and Netanyahu must "change his position" on the issue.
Before Biden spoke, he had a conversation with Netanyahu. The Israeli head of government then said that there was a "difference of opinion" between the allies on how to proceed after the end of the Gaza war. He would not "repeat the mistake of Oslo". Netanyahu was alluding to the Oslo Accords signed in the USA in 1993, which gave the Palestinians autonomous administration in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The USA has traditionally been a close ally of Israel. However, Biden's Democrats are increasingly criticizing the actions of the Israeli armed forces in the Gaza Strip. The Biden administration has been calling on Israel for weeks to show consideration for civilians.
Nevertheless, the USA is firmly on Israel's side - among other things, when a ceasefire for the Gaza Strip is called for at the United Nations. The USA and Israel reject this and argue that a ceasefire would play into the hands of Hamas.
In the vote at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, the USA and Israel were among the ten member states that voted against the resolution calling for a ceasefire. 23 member states abstained, including Germany.
The Federal Foreign Office justified its abstention in the online service X, formerly Twitter, by stating that the draft resolution concealed the "barbaric" attack by Hamas on Israel and "at least implicitly" questioned Israel's right "to defend itself against this Hamas terror". The ministry also rejected a "no", referring to "the suffering of the Palestinians" and the release of the remaining hostages. Germany is in favor of "humanitarian pauses".
Meanwhile, the heads of government of Australia, Canada and New Zealand - Anthony Albanese, Justin Trudeau and Christopher Luxon - called for a ceasefire. "The price of victory over Hamas cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians," they said in a joint statement. The safe space for civilians in the Gaza Strip is becoming ever smaller.
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and carried out the worst attack on the country since the founding of the state 75 years ago. According to Israeli reports, around 1200 people were killed and around 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded by bombing targets in the Gaza Strip and launching a ground offensive and announced that it would destroy Hamas. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, more than 18,400 people were killed in the Israeli attacks, most of them women and children.
The figures cannot be independently verified. On Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Health said that at least 50 more people had been killed in Israeli air strikes. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said that eight Israeli soldiers had been killed in the fighting on Tuesday.
Read also:
- This will change in December
- German activists speak out in Dubai on suffering in Israel and the Gaza Strip
- Nuclear fusion - hype or solution to energy problems?
- Budget crisis fuels debate on citizen's income - Bas warns against populism
- Despite Biden's earlier statement backing Israel after the Hamas attack, he expressed concern about the indiscriminate bombing in the Gaza Strip during a press conference in Washington.
- President Biden criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for not being open to a two-state solution, labeling it as the most conservative in Israel's history.
- Netanyahu and Biden had a discussion before the campaign event, with Netanyahu mentioning a difference of opinion between the allies on how to move forward after the Gaza war end.
- The German government abstained during the UN General Assembly vote, justifying its decision by stating that the draft resolution concealed Hamas's "barbaric" attack on Israel and questioned Israel's right to defend itself.
- Biden's Democrats have been increasingly critical of the Israeli armed forces' actions in the Gaza Strip, urging them to show more consideration for civilians.
- The USA and Israel, along with nine other countries, voted against the ceasefire resolution at the UN General Assembly, arguing that a ceasefire would benefit Hamas.
- Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand heads of government called for a truce, stating that the price of victory over Hamas should not be the continued suffering of Palestinians.
- The Gaza Strip has faced intense conflict since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, resulting in the worst attack on the country since its founding 75 years ago.
- According to Israeli reports, around 1200 people were killed, and approximately 240 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip during the conflict.
- The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported that more than 18,400 people had been killed in the Israeli attacks, with most of the casualties being women and children.
Source: www.stern.de
