According to the US government, Israel should in future concentrate more closely on specific targets and military infrastructure during the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The US government expects a transition from the “high-intensity” ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to “more targeted” military operations after talks with the Israeli leadership.
There was never any expectation that there would be a major destructive operation on the ground indefinitely, said a senior US government official in Tel Aviv. The aim is for Israel to concentrate more closely on specific targets and military infrastructure in the future. He spoke about the meetings of US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Israel – including with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This transition was a topic in them.
No time frame for transition
However, the US government official did not give a time frame for the transition. “It’s not really about time frames, but about the conditions that are set, and the Israelis have briefed us in great detail about the phases of their overall campaign,” he said. The New York Times previously reported that Washington had called on Israel to end its ground offensive in Gaza by the end of the year. The government official did not specifically address that report, but said: “There have been some reports about the time frame and I have to say that they are not entirely accurate.”
“I think that very early on the Israelis had ideas for military use that we thought were problematic,” he added. This was discussed with the Israeli government and the military operation was “adjusted based on some of our advice, some of our recommendations.” The US government reiterated that Israel must do everything in its power to protect civilians.
Meeting between Sullivan and Abbas
The US official also announced that security adviser Sullivan would meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Friday. With a view to the end of the war and the future of the Gaza Strip, the US government official spoke of a “number of security forces linked to the Palestinian Authority.” These could “form a kind of nucleus” in the months after the war. “But this is something we are discussing with the Palestinians and the Israelis and with regional partners,” he said.
Source: Stern
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