“There is no place like home” for Israel and “Nambu’s embassy”: A State of the State and a “Citizen’s War” in Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel – Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to meet with Benny Gantz, a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, as pressure builds for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the war in Gaza.
Ms. Harris also assailed what she called a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and pressed Israel to allow for the increase of aid into the besieged enclave.
The United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, which Ms. Harris contends has no regard for innocent life in Israel or in Gaza.
A six-week ceasefire is currently being negotiated that would allow for the release of Israeli hostages and open access to aid. President Biden has suggested that a deal could be in place soon. Senior administration officials said on Saturday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a framework, but that the latter still needs to sign on.
She added: “Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire.” A large crowd had gathered to honor the civil rights event.
Harris spoke at the annual commemoration of “Bloody Sunday,” in Selma, Ala., a symbolic site in the U.S. fight for civil rights, where in 1965 state troopers beat peaceful protesters.
Israel’s crisis in Gaza: the need for early elections and cooperation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington after the Gaza War
“No excuses,” the vice president said. “They must ensure humanitarian convoys are not targeted and restore basic services and order in Gaza so more food, water and fuel can reach those in need.”
She pointed to Thursday’s incident when the Israeli troops opened fire on people trying to get food from the aid convoy. More than one hundred and fifteen people died in the chaos, according to the health authorities. Israel said that its soldiers were in danger and that many people were run over by trucks or trampled as they crowded around the aid convoy. The U.S. and others have called for an investigation.
It is devastating to see what we see every day in Gaza. We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed, women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration,” Harris said. Many innocent Palestinians have been killed.
Netanyahu, who is still in power with a narrow majority, called for unity in the country in his Thursday night speech, dismissing the call for early elections as a tactic of extremists.
Regular anti-government protests are being held by Israelis who are angry over the fact that he has not been able to free the remaining 134 hostages still being held in captivity.
Gantz’s visit to Washington comes amid continued demonstrations against Netanyahu over the war in Gaza and calls for early elections that are growing louder on the streets.
Even before the war, there was a rift between Netanyahu and Gantz over a number of issues – from Israel’s military operations in Gaza to whether ultra-Orthodox men should be compelled into military service.
Hili Tropper, a member of the National Unity Party, stated in a Facebook post that there is one prime minister for Israel and anyone who can help for its success in the war must do so. For the benefit of the State of Israel, it’s time to put egos aside, put political calculations aside and concentrate on partnership.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had ordered the Israeli embassy to not allow embassy staff to attend any of the meetings that Gantz would be holding, because he didn’t have permission from the prime minister’s office. There are reports that Netanyahu told Gentz that Israel has only one prime minister.
The Strikes in Rafah, Gaza, During the March 10 Mass-Devastating War between the Hamas and the U.S.
Several countries have resorted to airdropping aid into Gaza, including, most recently, the U.S., which on Saturday, dropped over 38,000 meals in a joint operation with the Jordanian air force.
Adele Khodr, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at UNICEF, called for “entry points that would allow us to bring aid in from all possible crossings, including to northern Gaza; and security assurances and unimpeded passage to distribute aid, at scale, across Gaza, with no denials, delays and access impediments.”
In previous negotiations in Cairo and Doha, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Hamas demands “delusional.”
The humanitarian situation is Gaza is spiraling, with a least a quarter of the enclave’s 2.2 million residents now “one step away from famine,” according to the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. On Friday, the World Health Organization said it recorded the 10th child in Gaza to have starved to death.
Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, is where over a million displaced Palestinians have been sheltering for weeks, and where Israel says a number of Hamas battalions remain. The Israeli military carried out several strikes in the area, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In a separate strike in eastern Rafah on Saturday, 14 members of the same family were killed, and as many as 10 others were trapped under rubble.
He has given Hamas a choice: return the hostages by the start of the muslim holy month or the fighting will continue around the area.
A cease-fire deal would allow for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins around March 10.
A source said that Hamas wants temporary houses in Gaza until the war is over, and at least 60 percent of the homes have been destroyed. They also want a withdrawal of Israeli troops, and for Palestinians who have been displaced from northern Gaza to be able to return.
A Hamas delegation will be in Cairo until Tuesday to broker a deal that would include a 6-week cease-fire, as well as the exchange of tens of thousands of Palestinian prisoners for hundreds of Israeli hostages, say Egyptian sources.