US Urges Israel to Protect Civilians, President Biden's Adviser: IDF Must Be Able to Differentiate Their Targets

Jake Sullivan with President Biden. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - The United States is urging Israel to be able to protect Gaza civilians, increase aid to the region, with senior White House officials asking the Israeli military to be able to differentiate its targets.

According to the White House, President Joe Biden in his conversation with PM Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone said that Israel has the right to defend itself, but it must be done in a way that is consistent with international law regarding the protection of civilians, as reported by Reuters on October 30.

On the occasion, the two leaders were said to have discussed efforts to protect more than 200 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, since an October 7 attack on their country's south that is said to have killed 1,400 people.

The White House also said President Biden underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian aid to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza.

Meanwhile, in a Sunday Heart television interview, President Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, said that Israel has a responsibility to protect the lives of innocent people in Gaza.

Sullivan said that Uncle Sam's country discussed a number of pressing matters, such as issues surrounding humanitarian aid, distinguishing between militant groups and innocent civilians and how Israel thinks about its military operations.

"What we believe is, every hour, every day of this military operation, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), the Government of Israel must take every means available to differentiate between Hamas who are legitimate military targets and civilians who are illegitimate military targets. them," Sullivan told CNN.

Furthermore, Sullivan also said that PM Netanyahu had a responsibility to "control" extreme Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"It is completely unacceptable for violence by extremist settlers against innocent people in the West Bank," he stressed.

Sullivan added that Hamas militants have become embedded among the Palestinian population and civilian infrastructure, making operations against them extremely difficult.

"This increases the burden on Israel, but does not reduce their responsibilities under international humanitarian law, to differentiate between militants and civilians, to protect the lives of innocent people, and this is the majority of Gaza's population," explained Sullivan.

It is known that President Biden is facing pressure from within the Democratic Party that supports him, to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

As Israel's biggest military supporter, the United States bears responsibility for its actions in Gaza, Congressional Progressive Caucus leader and President Biden's party colleague Pramila Jayapal said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"We're losing credibility. And frankly, we're isolated in the world," Jayapal said.