US officials fraught by images of Palestinians killed by 'Israel': CNN
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One source says officials were feeling "great moral anxiety" that none can express since US President Joe Biden is "all in" with the Israeli occupation's actions.
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US President Joe Biden in "Tel Aviv" on October 18, 2023 (AFP)
As the Israeli forces are relentlessly bombing Gaza, multiple sources quoted senior US administration as saying that certain officials within the current US administration are "distraught" by the scenes coming in from Palestine, as reported by CNN.
One month into the Israeli aggression on Gaza, some senior officials have privately relayed that there are aspects of "Israel’s military actions" "they simply cannot stomach defending," amid growing calls for the US to back a ceasefire. Other officials have expressed being distraught by the incessant images of Palestinian civilians being killed by Israeli airstrikes.
The sources told CNN that one official said the whole situation has caused "great moral anxiety" that none can express since US President Joe Biden is "all in" with the Israeli occupation's actions.
According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, "Israel" and allies should begin to set the conditions of "durable peace" in Gaza, one of which would be that "Israel" cannot occupy Gaza. He noted that it was "imperative that the Palestinian people be central to the governance of Gaza and the West Bank.”
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is yet to offer a precise plan for Gaza in the event of successfully "eradicating Hamas", Blinken believes diplomatic efforts to find "lasting peace" are overdue.
However, this "peace", according to Blinken, has to be achieved without a ceasefire.
At a press conference after the G7 ministerial meeting in Tokyo, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken increased his opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza, saying, “Those calling for an immediate ceasefire have an obligation to explain how to address the unacceptable result that would likely bring.”
He continues to reiterate that the US does not support a ceasefire, claiming that doing so would give the Palestinian Resistance the chance to regroup and attack again.
“We all agreed humanitarian pauses would advance key objectives,” Blinken concluded.
This comes as the Israeli occupation has been relentlessly bombarding Gaza since October 7, killing a total of 10,569 Palestinians, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women.
Biden pleads, Netanyahu refuses
Netanyahu too has been adamant about refusing a ceasefire unless captives held by Hamas are freed.
One State Department official has allegedly resigned due to the administration's approach and others are secretly "fuming".
Yet, the administration has not distanced itself from Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, the White House has been bombarded with protesters calling for a ceasefire, and the White House's entrance near the West Wing was covered by protesters in red paint, implying that the US was directly and equally culpable for the deaths of innocent Palestinians.
The Israeli occupation has so far ignored any attempts made by the US to limit civilian targets or abide by humanitarian pauses, throwing the US in the face of international outrage.
One source reported to CNN that Israeli officials were being told to "pull back, to stop the bombing and engage in a more surgical, precise counterterrorism operation," to no avail.
On Friday, Blinken expressed that the Israelis will "be no partners for peace if they’re consumed by humanitarian catastrophe and alienated by any perceived indifference to their plight.”
During his meetings in the Middle East, Blinken was faced with frustration by Arab leaders who are fed up with the blind support the Biden administration has been giving "Israel".
Biden has been under increased pressure to call for a ceasefire, and sources have detailed that he has been bothered by the toll of civilian death in "Israel" particularly in a refugee camp and an ambulance convoy.
