A day after Netanyahu government approved the reopening of the Erez border crossing to allow the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, United States President Joe Biden said that Israel is responding to his demand for actions to limit humanitarian suffering in Gaza strip.
“I asked them to do what they’re doing,” Biden said in his remarks when asked by a reporter if he had threatened to stop military aid to Israel.
Biden spoke as he left the White House to survey the wreckage from last week’s bridge collapse in Baltimore.
This statement from the US President comes a day after his tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during which Biden warned that the US would reconsider its policy if Israel didn’t take concrete steps to protect civilian lives and aid workers after Israeli strikes killed seven food relief workers associated with the World Central Kitchen.
Shortly after the discussion between the two leaders, Israel declared that it would open the Erez crossing, which is located on Gaza’s northern border with Israel, and permit the temporary delivery of aid via the Ashdod port, where the majority of material is transported by truck to Erez, in order to facilitate the entry of more humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
Additionally, Israel said that it would augment the quantity of help entering Jordan via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
White House spokesperson Kirby was questioned earlier on Friday by ABC News host George Stephanopoulos about whether the adjustments that Israel has made thus far are sufficient to satisfy Biden’s demands.
In a response, Kirby said “Well, we’re going to have to watch and see where they go from here…” referring to the overnight moves as “good starts.”
As for Biden’s communication with Netanyahu, the National Security Council spokesman stated, “But we’ve got to see them execute and implement those things over time.”
Meanwhile, speaking on Friday at a press conference for the US-European Union Trade and Technology Council in Belgium, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a similar message to give.
He said, “These are positive developments, but the real test is results and that’s what we’re looking to see in the coming days and in the coming weeks.”
He said that the US would keep a close eye on the number of aid trucks that are consistently allowed into Gaza, and whether food insecurity metrics are reversed.
Notably, Erez Crossing, also known as Beit Hanoun, is a border crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip. It has been reopened for the first time since the October 7 assault by Hamas. Israel tightly controlled land crossings and banned all travel via air, and sea to and from Gaza.
Before the start of the conflict, there were two functional crossings within the enclave: Erez for the movement of people and Kerem Shalom for goods.