[ad_1]
Animosity between Israel and other global players boiled over Wednesday as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” by allegations he tried to justify Hamas‘ murder of civilians, while other prominent world leaders declared that the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group is a collection of freedom fighters, not a terrorist organization.
The mounting anger and resentment on both sides of the debate grew as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that his country will “surge forward” with its ground assault on the Gaza Strip, which is politically controlled by Hamas, despite mounting international opposition and calls for a humanitarian pause to Israel‘s response.
Mr. Netanyahu said in a national address his unity war cabinet is “working around the clock” preparing the military invasion, the timing of which he said would be determined by Israel and no one else.
Militants from Hamas, which the U.S., Israel and many states have labeled a terrorist organization, launched a brutal attack on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israelis and saw more than 200 people taken hostage.
Only four hostages have been released so far despite a fierce multinational, behind-the-scenes effort to secure their freedom before they’re inadvertently killed or publicly executed, as Hamas has threatened.
Israel pounded Hamas targets in Gaza from the air Wednesday and military officials said they killed Taysir Mubasher, the commander of Hamas’ North Sector Battalion and considered one of the group’s key military architects. The air campaign and limited ground operations are seen as the precursors to the inevitable full-scale land invasion, but the longer Israel waits, the more global opposition to the campaign, focused on a fear of civilian casualties in the densely populated enclave, has grown.
SEE ALSO: Biden says Israel has a ‘responsibility’ to defend itself, but urges restraint
At the White House, President Biden denied that he personally pressured Mr. Netanyahu to delay the ground offensive, though he again stressed the deep importance of protecting Palestinian civilians and said Washington remains committed to an ultimate settlement granting the Palestinians their own independence state.
Speaking from the White House Rose Garden during a joint press conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mr. Biden recommended caution, but said he did not push for a delay.
Recounting his conversations with Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Biden said it wasn’t his call on when Israel should launch a ground assault on Gaza.
“What I have indicated to him, is that, if it’s possible, to get these folks out safely, that’s what he should do. It’s their decision. I did not demand it,” Mr. Biden said.
Israelis have bristled at the criticism, arguing they are the victims of the original surprise attack by Hamas, which has established its base among Palestinian civilians trapped in Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken a day earlier said “humanitarian pauses must be considered,” as even the U.S., Israel‘s staunchest global ally, makes a subtle shift in its stance toward the conflict amid a rapidly rising death toll in Gaza and widespread suffering on the ground.
SEE ALSO: House Oversight Republicans request info to ensure U.S. aid does not fall into Hamas’ hands
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said more than 750 people were killed Wednesday alone, on top of the roughly 700 killed Tuesday. The total Palestinian death toll, the ministry said, now stands at more than 6,500. Those exact figures have not been verified by outside organizations.
The U.N. warned Wednesday that the situation could grow far worse, as the already fragile health system in the Palestinian enclave is on the verge of total collapse amid the relentless Israeli air campaign.
Israel vs U.N.
Israel and its American allies have often clashed with the U.N. over what critics view as the organization’s pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel bent, but the back-and-forth over the past two days has been especially bitter. The two sides are now engaged in a rhetorical fight over Israel‘s military strategy and the perceived death and destruction it is causing.
Mr. Guterres took to the stage at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday to push back against allegations that remarks he made the day before suggested he believes Hamas was justified in its Oct. 7 assault
On Tuesday, he said that the attack on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum,” citing the longstanding grievances of the Palestinian side. He also strongly condemned Hamas‘ attack.
But the comments drew immediate rebuke from Israel. The country’s U.N. Ambassador, Gilad Erdan, said that Mr. Guterres “is not fit to lead the U.N.” He wrote on social media that the remarks “showed understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women and the elderly.”
A visibly frustrated U.N. leader responded directly to those allegations as the organization pleaded for more food, water, medicine and other basic supplies to be delivered to Gaza immediately.
“I am shocked by the misrepresentations by some of my statements yesterday in the Security Council, as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false,” he said. “I spoke of the grievances of the Palestinian people, and in doing so I clearly stated ‘that the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas.’”
“I believe it was necessary to set the record straight, especially out of respect to the victims and to their families,” he said.
But the initial wave of global sympathy for Israel after the rampage has clearly evolved into a more complicated and divisive debate.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday reportedly canceled a planned visit to Israel and seemed to defend Hamas and its actions.
“Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a liberation group, ‘mujahideen,’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people,” he told Turkish lawmakers, according to Reuters.
“The perpetrators of the massacre and the destruction taking place in Gaza are those providing unlimited support for Israel,” he said. “Israel‘s attacks on Gaza, for both itself and those supporting them, amount to murder and mental illness.”
Mounting questions
Mr. Erdogan joins other leaders, including many from the Arab world, who have turned their fire on Israel, amid a surge of popular support in Muslim nations as images of trapped and suffering Gaza residents emerge.
In the face of that opposition, Mr. Netanyahu said there will be plenty of time in the future to figure out how and why the attack happened, including intelligence failures on Israel‘s part. But now is the time for action, he said.
“Everyone will have to give answers on the debacle — including myself — but all that will happen only after the war,” he said in his speech Wednesday. “As prime minister, I am responsible for securing the future of the state. And right now, my job is to lead the state of Israel and the people to a crushing victory over our enemies.”
“Now is the time to join forces for one goal: to surge forward to victory … with deep faith in the justice of our cause,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
Mr. Netanyahu faces tough questions about exactly what Israel plans to achieve with a full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Chief among them is Israel‘s plan for long-term governance over Gaza, home to more than 2 million people, once Hamas is destroyed and its political power eliminated.
At the White House, Mr. Biden said thorny long-term issues must be considered now. Eventually, he said, there needs to be a two-state solution that would create a Palestinian state, but he conceded such a compromise would not be possible in the wake of the terror attacks.
“When this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. And in our view, it has to be a two-state solution,” he said, adding that he spoke to Arab leaders in the region about integrating Israelis into the broader Middle East while assisting Palestinian statehood efforts.
Mr. Albanese announced that Australia will commit $15 million in humanitarian assistance to Gaza to provide emergency water and medical services. He echoed his U.S. counterpart’s remarks on Israel.
“Australia unequivocally condemns the terrorism of Hamas,” he said. “We grieve for every loss of life, whether it be Israel or Palestinian. In times of crisis, respecting international law is paramount and I commend the president for his leadership that he has shown in the example that he has set.”
— Jeff Mordock and Mike Glenn contributed to this report, which is based in part on wire service dispatches.
[ad_2]
Source link