Emotions are running high at the White House as some aides' frustration with Israel is growing [View all]

Source: CNN

Emotions are running high at the White House as some aides’ frustration with Israel is growing

By Kevin Liptak, MJ Lee, Alex Marquardt and Jennifer Hansler, CNN
9 minute read
Updated 6:18 PM EST, Wed November 8, 2023

Washington and Tokyo (CNN) — Angst, unease and outrage are spreading through corners of the Biden administration as Israeli forces show no signs of letting up their relentless attacks inside Gaza and the civilian death toll in the besieged enclave – already in the thousands – continues to climb.

One month into the Israel-Hamas war, some senior officials privately say there are aspects of Israel’s military operations they simply cannot stomach defending; calls for the US to back a ceasefire are growing among government employees; and others are distraught by the incessant images of Palestinian civilians being killed by Israeli airstrikes, multiple sources told CNN.

“It has created great moral anxiety,” said one senior administration official. “But no one can say it because we all work at the pleasure of the president and he’s all in.”

This week, a divide emerged between the US and Israel over the future of Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested in an interview Israel would have responsibility for security in Gaza for an “indefinite period.” On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated US opposition to any “reoccupation” of the Gaza Strip but did allow that “there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict.”

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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/08/politics/biden-administration-israel-hamas-war/index.html