President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that continued US support would depend on Israeli actions to protect Gaza civilians, for the first time conditioning aid as he urged an “immediate ceasefire.”
In a phone call after the Israeli killing of seven aid workers — which Israel says was a mistake — Biden urged Netanyahu to “announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers,” a White House statement said.
Biden “made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps,” it said.
