Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again insisted this Sunday on his criticism of the United States for withholding some arms shipments to Israel, stating that supplies have been reduced for four months. “The basic situation [con respecto a ese bloqueo] has not changed,” has insisted the Israeli Government, which has made public the disagreements with one of its main allies.
“I felt that making it public was absolutely necessary,” Netanyahu told the news portal. Punchbowl. “There has been a major slowdown in the supply of ammunition and weapons, which are necessary to quickly win the war in Gaza and avoid a war in Lebanon,” he added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to the Israeli prime minister by explaining that Washington has not changed its position on shipments. However, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, traveled to Washington this Sunday to, in addition to discussing the arms supply, debate the development of the war. “The relationship with the United States is more important than ever,” Gallant stated shortly before his diplomatic trip.
In Israel, the Government faces growing social opposition; with special emphasis on Netanyahu. Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated on Saturday in several cities across the country against the Executive, calling for the resignation of the prime minister and an agreement for the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the Strip. The demonstrations were called in cities such as Tel Aviv, Haifa, Caesarea and Jerusalem and culminate a week of protests, with violent altercations, injured citizens and the use of water cannons by law enforcement.
In the renamed Democracy Square in Tel Aviv, also the scene of the massive protests against the judicial reform proposed by Netanyahu to avoid any type of supervision of his Government, the protesters listened to relatives of the hostages. Yifat Calderón, cousin of the kidnapped Ofer Calderón, 53, wondered how it is possible that the Israeli Government considers it plausible to declare the military defeat of Hamas in the coming weeks, if the hostages remain captive, according to local media. Dani Elgarat, brother of the kidnapped Itzik Elgarat, accused Netanyahu of putting his political survival and personal benefit before the lives of the 116 hostages: “You choose to sacrifice the lives of our loved ones for your political survival.”
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human shields
In addition, the Israeli army has acknowledged that several of its soldiers violated its operations protocols on Saturday by using a wounded Palestinian as a human shield during an incursion in Jenin, in the West Bank. The soldiers tied the injured man to the hood of one of their vehicles as they left the scene. Previously, the Israeli military denied humanitarian workers access to treat the injured man. He was then “placed in the front of a military jeep, before allowing our teams to take him to hospital,” according to the Red Crescent.
In a subsequent statement reported by the American network CNN, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged that its forces violated “operational orders and procedures” and announced that they were going to begin an investigation. “The conduct of the forces in the incident does not conform to the values of the IDF. The incident will be investigated and dealt with accordingly,” the Israelis assured.
The United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, condemned the incident, describing it as an example of the use of human shields in conflict, strictly prohibited by international law. “It is surprising how a State born 76 years ago has managed to literally turn international law upside down,” she lamented in a publication on X (formerly Twitter). This Sunday, eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school near Gaza City, which was used to distribute aid, according to several witnesses.
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