Biden tells Netanyahu future US support is on the line

The call between Biden and Netanyahu came three days after a convoy of aid workers – including Australian Zomi Frankcom and one American citizen – were killed by an Israeli strike that the military claimed had been a “mistake” and the result of a “misidentification”.

Loading

Biden is said to have been privately enraged by the incident, and publicly noted it was not isolated given nearly 200 aid workers have been killed so far since the war began on October 7.

But the call also came as the US president faced growing pressure to limit the supply of weapons to Israel, as members of his own ranks demand that the US stop being complicit in the murder of innocent people in Gaza.

Since the war began on October 7, the US has reportedly approved and delivered more than 100 separate foreign military sales to Israel amounting to thousands of precision-guided munitions, small-diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms and other lethal aid.

According to the Washington Post, the Biden administration approved the transfer of thousands more bombs to Israel on the same day Frankcom and her colleagues in the charity group World Central Kitchen were killed.

Loading

Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders had the strongest condemnation this week, declaring that “the United States should not be giving another nickel to Israel to continue this terrible war against the Palestinian people.”

“We’re talking about people who today don’t have food, don’t have water, don’t have medical supplies, don’t have fuel,” Sanders, who is Jewish, told MSNBC.

“It is horrible, it is inexcusable, and it’s got to end right now – and the United States cannot continue to be complicit in the horror that is taking place now.

But in a sign of the changing sentiments within the Democratic Party, Biden ally Chris Coons, an ardent defender of Israel, also said on Thursday that the US should condition its aid – particularly if Israel expands its operations in Rafah.

Loading

“If Benjamin Netanyahu were to order the IDF into Rafah at scale … and make no provision for civilians or for humanitarian aid, I would vote to condition aid to Israel,” Coons told CNN. “I’ve never said that before.”

Biden’s phone call with Netanyahu is significant because the president is a decades-long supporter of Israel who said in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack that US support would be “rock solid” and “unwavering.”

Asked about this today, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said America’s support of Israel’s right to defend itself was still “iron clad”.

However, “the manner in which they’re defending themselves against Hamas needs to change,” he added.

“On October 7, there wasn’t near famine in Gaza. On October 7, there wasn’t a diminution of trucks getting into Gaza. On October 7, we didn’t see thousands and thousands of innocent people killed.”

Asked how soon the US wanted to see corrective action by Israel, he replied: “hours and days.”

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.