Report: US Seeks Israeli Assurances on Arms Aid

Facts

• Citing US and Israeli officials, Axios reported Tuesday that the Biden administration has given Israel until mid-March to pledge to abide by international law while using US weapons, as well as allow humanitarian aid into Gaza as part of a broader national security memorandum.¹
• This comes as negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued on Wednesday in Qatar, with a senior Hamas official stating that 'the gap is still wide,' but 'space for flexibility' remains. Though he added that Hamas wants guarantees of a permanent cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.²
• Responding to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh's claims that the pro-Palestine group had shown flexibility in negotiations, an Israeli official said, 'We don't know of any Hamas flexibility,' and added that Israel's negotiators are still in Doha and will stay as long as there's reason to.³
• Meanwhile, families of hostages held in Gaza launched a four-day march from southern Israel to Jerusalem to demand their loved ones be set free. A US, Qatari, and Egyptian-backed proposal reportedly posits that Hamas would free some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a six-week cease-fire.⁴
• Several UN humanitarian organizations warned on Tuesday that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip may experience conflict-induced famine if the war doesn't end soon, and have called for a cease-fire and increased aid delivery. A UN official said that around 25% of Gaza's population is 'one step away from famine.'⁵
• According to Gaza's health ministry, the conflict has killed nearly 30K people, the majority of whom were women and children. The official Israeli death toll on Oct. 7 stands at around 1.2K people, while there are still over 100 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.⁶

Sources: ¹Axios, ²Al Jazeera, ³The Times of Israel, ⁴Associated Press, ⁵VOA and ⁶The Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CBS. Israel must be able to defend itself from terrorist attacks from Gaza or elsewhere, and the US is committed to preventing malicious actors from threatening Israel's legitimate concerns. However, Netanyahu is going too far, and he must be willing to follow through on his promises to compromise on a needed truce. The Biden administration is losing patience with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intransigence.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Jerusalem Post. Israel will always be thankful for the US' steadfast support, but Pres. Joe Biden needs to take a step back from his criticism of Israel's Prime Minister. Netanyahu is a complicated figure, and Biden has a re-election campaign to worry about, which has created understandable tension between the two. However, Biden must understand that he should be pressuring the Hamas militants — who haven't made a single positive step in finding a compromise — instead of Israel. Israel will pursue its goals, which are incredibly popular with its citizens, regardless of whether it annoys Washington.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by The Nation. As Israel's slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza continues unabated, the Biden administration, increasingly anxious over the upcoming election, has resorted to cheap tactics to deny its support for Israel's brutal campaign. Regardless of how the administration tries to spin it, Biden has armed Israel, given it diplomatic cover, and refused to call for a permanent cease-fire — all of which incentivizes continued bloodshed. Indeed, Israel's war on Gaza would be unsustainable without US support, and Biden should enact concrete policy to stop the violence.

Predictions