The White House dodged answering if it agrees with Chef Jose Andres’ sentiment that Israel is using food as a weapon on Wednesday following these allegations from the celebrity chef, whose World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Monday.
“We know Israelis. Israelis, in their heart of hearts, know that food is not a weapon of war,” Andres wrote in an op-ed published in the New York Times on Wednesday. “Israel is better than the way this war is being waged. It is better than blocking food and medicine to civilians. It is better than killing aid workers who had coordinated their movements with the Israel Defense Forces.”
Israel has said it is investigating the strikes.
The Biden administration was unified in calling for a “very straightforward” investigation to be done swiftly and made public.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said there are some initial findings but the investigation is still underway.
Jean-Pierre said Biden’s statement condemning Israel’s strikes against the aid workers, issued on Tuesday night, made it “loud and clear” where the president stands.
The State Department faced questioning on Israel’s claims that its forces misidentified the trucks marked with the World Central Kitchen logo.
“It doesn’t really matter how they made the mistake. At the end of the day, you have seven dead aid workers who were there trying to deliver humanitarian assistance,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. “So, whatever the reason was that led to this tragedy, whatever the mistake that happened inside the IDF, it’s unacceptable, and they need to do better, and they need to put measures in place to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”
Miller said Israel needs to improve its deconfliction efforts.
While Miller said Monday’s strikes against the aid workers reveal the challenges of humanitarian operations in Gaza, the US is still expected to build its temporary pier off the Gaza coast in the coming weeks.
The administration said it’s going to continue having “tough” conversations with Israel about the planned invasion of Rafah and will meet in person with Israeli officials.
Biden will reportedly speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone on Thursday, Reuters reported.
A date for an in-person meeting has not yet been announced.
Israel's allies condemn event, mounting pressure on Israel
Israel’s allies are facing increasing pressure to take action against Israel following Monday’s strikes.
On Wednesday, the three main British opposition parties and some lawmakers in the governing party on Wednesday said the British government should consider suspending arm sales.
The Liberal Democrats called for the suspension of arms exports to Israel; the Scottish National Party backed that move and said parliament should be recalled from its Easter break to discuss the crisis.
The main opposition Labour Party, which polls suggest will form the next government later this year, adopted a nuanced approach, saying the government should suspend arms sales if lawyers find that Israel has broken international law.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly called on Wednesday for a full investigation into the killing of the aid workers in Gaza, one of whom was a Canadian citizen.
Speaking on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, she said Israel needed to respect international law.
Among the seven aid workers who died in the attack on Monday was 33-year-old dual US-Canadian citizen Jacob Flickinger.
A sea convoy of undelivered food for Gaza returned to Cyprus on Wednesday due to the fallout from Monday’s strike.
A cargo ship carrying 240 tons of food, initially destined for the people of the besieged Palestinian enclave, sailed back to Larnaca, Cyprus, following the deadly attack, dropping anchor just outside the port.
A second ship, the Open Arms, owned by a Spanish NGO working with WCK, arrived earlier.