From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Blinken warns: Israel risks becoming indistinguishable from Hamas if it doesn’t protect Gaza civilians
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns that Israel risks becoming indistinguishable from Hamas if it continues to fail to protect civilians amid the Gaza war.
“What happened after October 7 could have ended immediately if Hamas had stopped hiding behind civilians, released the hostages and put down its weapons, but Israel is not Hamas. Israel is a democracy; Hamas, a terrorist organization. Democracies place the highest value on human life, every human life. As it has been said, whoever saves a life, saves the entire world,” Blinken says during a press conference in Brussels, quoting a Jewish proverb.
“That’s our strength. It’s what distinguishes us from terrorists like Hamas. If we lose that reverence for human life, we risk becoming indistinguishable from those we confront.”
“Right now, there is no higher priority in Gaza than protecting civilians, surging humanitarian assistance, and ensuring the security of those who provide it. Israel must meet this moment,” Blinken said.
He notes “important steps” Israel has taken to allow aid into Gaza, but clarifies that “the results on the ground are woefully insufficient and unacceptable,” with 100 percent of Gazans facing acute insecurity.
“This week’s horrific attack on the World Central Kitchen was not the first such incident. It must be the last,” the top US diplomat warns.
Blinken also says that during a call moments before the press conference, US President Joe Biden underscored to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the prime minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.”
Asked whether this amounted to a shift in US policy away from the belief that a ceasefire can only come through a hostage deal, Blinken responded, “Our conviction remains that we need to see an immediate ceasefire to enable the release of hostages but also to enable a dramatic surge in humanitarian assistance.”
Pressed on when the US would like to see steps implemented by Israel to address the Gaza humanitarian crisis, Blinken says, “as soon as possible.”
