U.S.-Israel Dispute Over Gaza Situation: Ceasefire and Reoccupation

U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Israel to halt hostilities for three days. The U.S. government has also expressed opposition to Israel’s reoccupation of the Gaza Strip.

According to U.S. media Axios on the 7th (local time), President Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend hostilities for three days to facilitate the release of hostages.

It is reported that Hamas is holding about 240 hostages in the Gaza Strip.

However, Axios reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu told President Biden that he does not trust Hamas’ intentions and does not believe they are ready to make an agreement related to the hostages. In particular, Netanyahu is said to be against a ceasefire due to an incident during the 2014 war with Hamas, during which Hamas killed and kidnapped Israeli soldiers during a ceasefire.

The U.S. and Israel also have disagreements over how to handle the Gaza Strip post-war. The U.S. expressed a negative stance on the statement of Prime Minister Netanyahu the previous day that Israel would be responsible for “overall indefinite security” in the Gaza Strip after the war.

John Kirby, the National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator, said in an interview with CNN, “President Joe Biden still believes that the occupation of the Gaza Strip is not good for Israel” and that the U.S. and Israel will continue to discuss this issue.

In response to the observation that the U.S. and Israel seem to have disagreements over the reoccupation of Gaza and the humanitarian ceasefire, Coordinator Kirby said, “Just because we’re allies doesn’t mean we have to agree on every nuance of every word,” and “President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu are not always in the same place on every issue politically.” He added, “However, both agree that Israel has the right to exist as a state and the right and responsibility to protect its country and its people from threats like October 7,” and stated that the U.S. will continue to support Israel.

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel also said in a briefing on the same day regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks, “The Palestinians should lead such decisions, and our position is that Gaza will remain Palestinian land now and in the future.” He added, “Generally speaking, we do not support the reoccupation of Gaza, and neither does Israel.” This is an explanation that there is no disagreement between the two countries.

By. Yoon Ju Hae