Israel must do more for Palestinian civilians, US officials charge during Gantz visit

During his meetings in Washington last night, Defense Minister Benny Gantz heard sharp and highly critical messages about the humanitarian situation in Gaza from Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, according to Israeli and American sources familiar with the meeting.

Gantz was surprised by the strength of the criticism and concern he heard from senior government officials on this issue.

"There is significant difficulty here that needs to be addressed," said an Israeli source familiar with the meeting's content. Another conclusion Gantz drew from the meetings at the White House yesterday is that his visit to Washington occurred two months too late.

In his view, the strained relations between the White House and Netanyahu and his advisors did not allow for a sufficient understanding in the American administration regarding Israel's intentions and policy.

Gantz met for about an hour with President Biden's senior advisor on the Middle East, Brett McGurk, an hour and a half with National Security Advisor Sullivan, and another 45 minutes with Vice President Harris.

Harris emphasized to Gantz that Israel needs to take further steps in cooperation with the United States and the international community to increase the humanitarian aid entering Gaza and ensure that it is distributed to Palestinians in need, according to the White House.

A source familiar with the content of the meeting between Harris and Gantz said that the message from the Vice President was that the Biden administration wants to continue supporting Israel, but Israel needs to do its part, especially concerning the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"Help us help you," Harris told Gantz. The message from all the senior American officials to Gantz was that Gaza needs to be flooded with aid, and it's Israel's role to find a solution on how to do that.

What's next?

Harris also emphasized to Gantz that before Israel considers a military operation in Gaza, it needs to present a workable humanitarian plan, given the risk of civilian casualties among Palestinians.

Gantz revealed during the talks at the White House that Biden administration officials do not believe what they have heard so far from Netanyahu and his advisors regarding a possible operation in Gaza, much less a plan to evacuate the civilian population from the city.

McGurk, Sullivan, and Harris repeatedly asked Gantz where Israel intends to relocate more than a million Palestinians currently in Gaza and cast doubt on Israel's ability to do so. Gantz clarified to Harris and Sullivan that Israel does not intend to enter Gaza without addressing the civilian population and stressed that it can be done.

The big picture

Senior White House officials expressed pessimism to Gantz about the likelihood of reaching a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia under the current conditions as long as the conflict in Gaza continues.

They emphasized that the key to progress with Saudi Arabia lies in Israel, and if a prolonged ceasefire is achieved, the Israeli government will need to take significant steps regarding the Palestinian issue for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to progress toward a peace agreement.

One thing the Israeli government will need to do is commit to a path leading to a future Palestinian state. Senior White House officials expressed doubt if the current Israeli government, which includes extremist elements, would be willing to take such a step.