Israel rebuffs Blinken's call for Gaza humanitarian pause
Israel rebuffs Blinken's call for Gaza humanitarian pause
PM Benjamin Netanyahu says there will be no temporary truce without the release of hostages.
By Paul Adams in Jerusalem, Anthony Zucher in Tel Aviv & Graeme Baker BBC News
Israel has rebuffed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's call for a "humanitarian pause" in Gaza.
Mr Blinken said he had discussed the idea with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials during their talks in Tel Aviv.
But in a TV statement minutes later, Mr Netanyahu said Israel rejected "a temporary ceasefire that does not include the release of our hostages".
He said that Israel was "continuing with all our force" against Hamas.
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Israel knows that the US will back it up no matter what, so it doesn't have to listen.
Blinken also knows that Israel knows. The US calls for humanitarian aid, etc, are public theatre designed to be rebuffed by Israel without consequences. So Biden gets to show the world that he is very concerned over human rights, even as Israel flattens Gaza.
Between the unflinching support of the US, the world doing nothing to stop genocide across the globe, and the lack of any consequence for nuclear powers, they know they have basically carte blanche.