Despite Blinken's public embrace, US-Israel disagreements persist on Gaza

Statements released separately on Tuesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Israeli leaders with whom he met in Tel Aviv exposed yet again the prevailing disagreements between the two countries over the war in Gaza. 

After meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken posted on X that the United States reaffirmed its support for Israel’s right to prevent another Oct. 7 from occurring, but he added that he “also stressed the importance of avoiding civilian harm, protecting civilian infrastructure and ensuring the distribution of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza.”

Differences of opinion were also noticeable in the statement issued by the office of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after he met with Blinken. Gallant told his American interlocutor that the “changes in combat tactics” in north Gaza, where the Israeli military has scaled back some of the fighting, “should advance Israel toward achieving the goals of the war.” Gallant also noted that “the operation in the area of Khan Yunis will intensify and continue until the IDF apprehends the heads of Hamas and brings back the hostages.”

On the border with Lebanon, Gallant said that “the ultimate goal is bringing the [evacuated] residents of the north back to their homes safely while changing the security situation near the border.” He added that “Israel prefers to reach that via diplomacy. Still, the Israeli security systems also prepare an alternative solution to reach that goal.”