Netanyahu Tells Biden ‘We Have to Go’ Into Gaza, Rules Out Negotiations
Axios reports Netanyahu conveyed the message in a Sunday phone call
by Dave DeCamp Posted onOctober 10, 2023CategoriesNewsTagsIsrael, Palestine
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Biden in a phone call on Sunday that Israel had to launch a ground invasion into the besieged Gaza Strip and ruled out the idea of negotiations, Axios reported on Monday.
“We have to go in. We can’t negotiate now,” Netanyahu told Biden, according to US and Israeli sources. On the same day, US officials told the media that they expected Israel to launch an invasion within 48 hours.
The report said President Biden did not press Netanyahu or try to convince him not to go through with the ground incursion as the US has shown no interest in calling for de-escalation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken deleted a tweet where he said he was “encouraging” Turkish efforts to push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Since the Sunday Biden-Netanyahu phone call, Israel announced it called up 300,000 reservists, ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, and said they were fighting “human animals” in the enclave, which is populated by over two million people, including about one million children.
Israel has also kept up relentless airstrikes in Gaza since Hamas launched its attack on Saturday. Since the Hamas attack was launched on Saturday, nearly 2,000 people have been killed, including about 1,000 Israelis and 900 Palestinians.
President Biden delivered a speech on Tuesday affirming his full support for Israel’s military operations. “In this moment, we must be crystal clear,” Biden said. “We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel.”
The US has started sending more military aid to Israel, deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, and offered intelligence and other types of support for a potential hostage rescue operation in Gaza.
Author: Dave DeCamp
Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave. View all posts by Dave DeCamp
