Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that if the United States doesn’t see Israel make changes to its strategy in Gaza, “there'll be changes in our own policy.”
“You just mentioned that U.S. policy on Gaza will be determined by Israel’s actions in response to the concrete steps you’re seeking. Can you clarify what sort of U.S. policy changes we might be looking at?” a reporter asked Blinken at a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
“With regard to our policy in Gaza, look, I'll just say this: If we don't see the changes that we need to see, there'll be changes in our own policy,” Blinken said.
Blinken announced during the news conference that Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on Thursday that he expects Israel to announce "concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers" in Gaza, and he demanded "an immediate ceasefire."
Blinken also praised Israel for steps to allow assistance into Gaza, but noted that the “results on the ground are woefully insufficient and unacceptable,” and condemned the Israel Defense Forces strikes that killed seven aid workers working with World Central Kitchen.