Staff Reports
U.S. and Israeli defense leaders had a meeting at the Pentagon on Tuesday, and boy, was it a doozy! The U.S. decision not to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution got the Israeli government all riled up. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog were among the Israeli delegates who met with U.S. leaders. They sat down with big names like Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, top dog Kelly Magsamen, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, and policy officials Celeste Wallander and Sasha Baker, among others.
Israel’s Gallant visits Pentagon after Netanyahu scrapped other DC delegation visit https://t.co/BfXG2zXGLz https://t.co/BfXG2zXGLz
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 26, 2024
Before the meeting started behind closed doors, Austin made sure to drive home the administration’s stance on Israel needing to allow more aid into Gaza and continue supporting their “goal of seeing Hamas defeated.” He went on to say that Gaza is facing a humanitarian catastrophe and needs immediate increases in assistance to prevent famine. Austin also expressed concerns about Israel’s plans to carry out operations in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are seeking shelter. The U.S. doesn’t think it’s a good idea, and they’re hoping to convince Israel of that.
The tension between the U.S. and Israel stems from the U.N. resolution that the U.S. abstained from, ultimately allowing it to pass. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t too happy about it and announced that he wouldn’t be sending his top advisers to the U.S. for meetings with Biden administration officials. Netanyahu’s office argued that the U.S.’s abstention will benefit Hamas, even though U.S. officials disagree. The U.S. abstained from the resolution because it didn’t include a condemnation of Hamas, the terrorist organization that sparked the current war.
