Biden says he will speak with Netanyahu as pressure mounts on U.S. to call for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas violence

On Sunday, Netanyahu defended the punishing airstrike on Saturday that collapsed a 12-story building housing international media, citing intelligence that Hamas was using a portion of the building to plan terror attacks.

Netanyahu said that the building’s occupants, which included the Associated Press, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media agencies, were given an hour’s notice to evacuate before the strike.

“Here’s the intelligence we had,” Netanyahu told CBS Sunday program “Face the Nation.”

“[It’s] an intelligence office for the Palestinian terrorist organization housed in that building that plots and organizes the terror attacks against Israeli civilians. So, it’s a perfectly legitimate target,” he explained.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki would not confirm whether the Biden administration agreed with Israeli intelligence assessments. She instead reiterated calls for a de-escalation in violence.

“The role we are playing is, how can we help bring an end to the violence, and our calculation at this point is having those conversations behind the scenes,” Psaki said Monday. “Our approach is quiet, intensive diplomacy.”

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden spoke separately to Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Biden raised concerns over the fierce fighting and the safety of civilians and journalists. He also underscored his commitment to a negotiated two-state solution as “the best path to reach a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” according to a readout.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Monday that officials across the administration are “working around the clock” to bring an end to the violence. Blinken added that U.S. envoy Hady Amr, deputy assistant secretary of State for Israel and Palestinian affairs, was on the ground in the region.

— CNBC’s Christina Wilkie contributed to this report.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that the attack that killed 42 people destroyed several homes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. The attack on a high-rise building that housed international media agencies occurred on Saturday.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/17/gaza-news-biden-urged-to-call-for-ceasefire-in-israel-palestinian-violence.html