Contain conflict, Joe Biden tells Israel's Netanyahu, Palestinians' Abbas

WASHINGTON: Intensifying the efforts to contain the escalating tensions amid Israel’s plan to invade Gaza strip, US President Joe Biden made separate phone calls to the Israeli and Palestinian leaders while his administration reached out to China and regional powers in the Middle East.

In both calls, Biden stressed the need to prevent the conflict from expanding and detailed the coordination with the United Nations, Egypt, Jordan and other countries in the region to ensure access to water, food, and medical care for all civilians.

During his conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden reiterated the US’s unwavering support for Israel and also his warning against anyone seeking to expand the conflict.

While it was his fifth such call to Netanyahu since Hamas’s assault last week, it was his reach-out to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, first since the conflict flared, that was particularly noteworthy. In his first call, Biden stressed that the militant group “does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination”.

“Abbas briefed Biden on his engagement in the region and his efforts to bring urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza. Biden offered Abbas and the Palestinian Authority his full support for these important and ongoing efforts,” the White House said.

“President Biden detailed US efforts to coordinate with partners to prevent the conflict from widening, and the two leaders discussed the need to preserve stability in the West Bank and the broader region,” it added.

“This afternoon, President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reiterate unwavering US support for Israel. President Biden updated Prime Minister Netanyahu on US military support and reiterated his warning against anyone seeking to expand the conflict,” said the White House.

Biden affirmed his support for all efforts to protect civilians, it said.

Raising tensions in Ground Zero, reports said nine rockets were fired from Lebanon, the base of Hezbollah, said Israeli military. Five of them were intercepted, and Israeli forces were firing back at the source, it added.

Gaza deaths soar to deadliest of 5 wars

The Gaza Health Ministry says 2,329 Palestinians have been killed since the latest fighting erupted, making this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for Palestinians. The death toll on Sunday surpassed that of the third war between Israel and Hamas in the summer of 2014, when 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed, according to UN figures.