Israel urged to reduce civillan casualties in its War on Hamas

By Moses Muli

Published: Dec.15,2023 11:52 AM(EAT)

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will travel to the occupied West Bank on Friday in his push to demonstrate continued US support for Israel in its fight against Hamas, while also urging the Israeli government to take meaningful steps to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.

A US official told CNN that Sullivan would meet with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah on the second day of his trip to the region. Sullivan previously met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top government officials on Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ national security adviser, Phil Gordon, previously met with Abbas and other Palestinian leaders last week.

The Palestinian Authority is the Palestinian governing body in the West Bank. Hamas controls Gaza and presents itself as an alternative to the PA.

Sullivan’s meeting with Abbas comes amid a public rift between Biden and Netanyahu, who differ on whether the Palestinian Authority should have governing power in Gaza once Israel’s war with Hamas ends. The US has said the Palestinian Authority should assume governance responsibilities in Gaza after the end of Israeli military operations, but Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected that idea.

Sullivan’s visit to Israel, his second since the deadly Hamas attack against the country on October 7, comes as Biden has become increasingly vocal about his desire to see the Israeli government take more concrete steps to eliminate civilian casualties in Gaza and called for Netanyahu to change his hardline positions.