Washington reportedly continues to urge Israel to transition towards more surgical military action in the Gaza Strip, with the Biden administration hoping their Middle Eastern ally will adopt a change in tactics in January.
That’s according to reports emerging in US media this week citing a White House official.
The anonymous official claimed Washington is concerned over the potential for Israel’s tactics in southern Gaza to mirror their campaign in the north. Israel has been heavily criticized for the high civilian death toll that resulted from the country’s heavy bombardment of Gaza City and other areas in the northern portion of the besieged enclave.
The Biden official claimed the administration has engaged in “hard” and “direct” conversations warning Israel against replicating those tactics.
Instead, the United States has reportedly advised Israel to transition towards a lower-intensity campaign similar to US efforts to target militant leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan. One official claimed Israel plans to follow that guidance.
“We believe that the approach that we’re taking thus far has produced effective results,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby when asked by reporters last week about Israel’s cooperation with US requests.
However, another senior Biden official told US media “they did not feel comfortable using the word ‘receptive’ to capture Israel’s response so far to the administration’s military advice.”
The conflicting reports reflect ongoing tensions between Israel and the Biden White House, which is feeling the string of intense opposition to Israel’s tactics from sectors of the Democratic Party’s coalition including young people and Arab Americans.
Biden has historically been a strong supporter of Israel, once claiming from the floor of the Senate that “if there were not an Israel, we’d have to invent one” to protect America’s “interests” in the Middle East. But polling shows that younger Americans increasingly oppose Israel and back a long-term ceasefire in hostilities in Gaza.
The Biden administration so far has not articulated how it may compel Israel to moderate its strategy or what consequences the country may face if it doesn’t. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated over the weekend that US backing of Israel is “not negotiable.”
Israel’s hypothetical shift towards a “counterinsurgency” style campaign in Gaza may suggest the country could have difficulty achieving ultimate control over the territory. The United States occupied Afghanistan for some 20 years before withdrawing in 2021 amidst widespread opposition from the country’s civilian population towards the US presence.
Defense Secretary Austin has warned Israel of a potential “strategic defeat” as Israel’s tactics in Gaza provoke similar opposition.
Meanwhile, US support for Israel has weakened the country’s standing around the world, particularly in Muslim and Arab nations. Some 16,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began operations in the territory shortly after Hamas’ October 7 attack. That number reportedly includes 7,112 children and 4,885 women.