Biden pressure on Israel not enough, internal dissent growing: US officials

The Joe Biden administration's pressure on Israel after last week's deadly attack on aid workers in Gaza was not enough and will fail to stem the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to current and former United States officials, reports BBC.

They called for tougher action on arms transfers to Israel, saying internal dissent in the US government was growing regarding the Western superpower's stance on the Israel issue.

Last week, an Israeli strike killed seven workers from the food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), including a US citizen.

Following the incident, President Biden threatened to reassess policy. In response, Israel said it would open new aid routes.

But the tougher line was "too little, too late", said Annelle Sheline, an official working in human rights who quit the State Department in protest a fortnight ago, according to BBC.

She said the White House "could have done this months ago and prevented famine in northern Gaza".

The US-Israel relationship is going through its most serious strain in decades, after President Biden's phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week which amounted to a defining moment in the six-month conflict.

Within hours of Biden's call, Israel said it would open the Erez crossing in northern Gaza and the port of Ashdod in southern Israel to aid, and pledged to drastically improve security coordination with groups delivering assistance to Palestinians.

Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council on Monday finally passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. The United States, which had been the only remaining hurdle to such a call, decided not to strike down the resolution.

In a newly-aired interview, Biden said he believed the Israeli prime minister was making "a mistake" in his handling of Gaza.

The US president spoke to Univision two days after the Israeli strike on WCK workers - and before Israel announced the opening of the Erez crossing - though the footage was only aired on Tuesday,

In the interview, Biden said he said his ally should "just call for a ceasefire" with Hamas, and allow "total access to all food and medicine" for Gaza.

Despite the steps taken by Netanyahu last week, the views of seven current and former US government officials reflect the way internal objections to policy continue to mount. They said many government workers were voicing their frustrations in unofficial forums that include at least a dozen groups on messaging apps, which the officials said counted hundreds of administration staff as members.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said it encouraged different views on policy and staff could make them known through "appropriate channels". The US had "been clear at the highest levels publicly and privately with Israel that it must abide by international humanitarian law", the spokesperson said.

Israel doing the bare minimum

Four current officials at varying levels of seniority in different government departments spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity. Two have roles in areas with direct links to foreign policy, including Israel and Gaza.

One who has 25 years of national security experience said internal opposition had become "deeper, wider and more despairing" than at any previous point in the war. While the increase in pressure from President Biden last week was welcome, it did not go far enough to reflect the "moral urgency" to act, they said.

"I read it as Israel doing the bare minimum to get through the day and avoid arms transfers being halted," the official added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday more than 400 trucks had been cleared to go into Gaza the previous day, describing "important commitments" made by Israel. However, UN officials told the BBC the figure was in fact 223, less than half the daily number it says is required as a minimum to stem the crisis.