During his visit to Washington, Minister of the Israeli War Council Benny Gantz was surprised by sharp criticism directed by senior White House officials regarding the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli government’s management of the war.
Israeli War Council Minister Benny Gantz faced sharp criticism regarding the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, during his meetings with senior American officials in Washington.
Yesterday, Tuesday, during his ongoing visit to Washington, Gantz met with US Secretary of State and Defense Anthony Blinken and Lloyd Austin, and this was preceded by a meeting he held with US Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday.
Axios quoted American officials as saying that the American administration told Gantz during the talks how frustrated it was with the Israeli government.
During his meeting with Gantz, Blinken stressed the need for Israel to take urgent steps to expand the scope of humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza, including opening additional crossings.
The US State Department said that Blinken stressed to Gantz the need for a “credible and implementable” humanitarian plan before any major military operation in Rafah.
For its part, the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed, during his meeting with Gantz, his deep concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The Pentagon spokesman said that Gantz met with Austin and did not present any plans for a military operation in Rafah.
Axios reported that during his meeting with Deputy Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Gantz faced severe criticism and difficult questions regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the Israeli war strategy.
Gantz said that during his meetings in Washington with the US Vice President and the National Security Advisor, he discussed finding "a solution to transfer humanitarian aid in a way that reaches the population and not the Hamas movement."
Gantz stressed "the importance of working to establish an international administration in cooperation with the countries of the region and as part of strengthening the normalization process."
National Security Council officials watered down parts of Kamala Harris' speech on Gaza, NBC reported, citing US officials.
The network said that Harris's original draft of her speech was harsher toward Israel regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Israeli division
Gantz's visit to the United States sparked anger and accusations in Israel.
The Prime Minister's Office issued a directive to the Israeli embassy in Washington not to cooperate with Gantz, after he did not obtain his permission or coordinate with him regarding the visit.
Last Monday, Gantz began a visit to Washington to meet with American officials and discuss a “temporary ceasefire” and “the need for a significant increase” in humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to a White House official.
Gantz's visit reflects a sharp division in Israel, as media reports have reported since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip that there are deep differences between Netanyahu and Gantz.
Among the most important of these differences, according to Israeli media reports, are matters related to how the war was managed, the file of Israeli prisoners in Gaza, and plans for the day after the end of the war.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip that has left tens of thousands of civilians martyred and injured, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive destruction of infrastructure, which led to Tel Aviv appearing before the International Court of Justice on charges of "Annihilation."