Washington: The White House said on Sunday there was no change in its Israel policy after NBC News reported the United States was discussing using weapon sales to Israel as leverage to convince the Israeli government to scale back its military assault in Gaza.
“Israel has a right and obligation to defend themselves against the threat of Hamas, while abiding by international humanitarian law and protecting civilian lives, and we remain committed to support Israel in its fight against Hamas. We have done so since Oct. 7, and will continue to. There has not been a change in our policy,” a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said.
Meanwhile, the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as well as top Egyptian, Qatari and Israeli officials were communicating in Paris on Sunday to seek a ceasefire in Gaza, officials close to the participants said.
French authorities were also in touch with these four countries with the aim of negotiating a halt to hostilities between Israel and Hamas, the sources said.
On the other hand, UN officials and aid groups have called for countries to reconsider their decision to pause funding for the UN refugee agency for Palestinians on Sunday, warning that its life-saving aid for some two million people in Gaza was in jeopardy.
At least nine countries, including top donors the United States and Germany, have paused funding for the UN Refugee Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) following allegations by Israel that some of its staff were involved in Hamas attacks.
“While I understand their concerns — I was myself horrified by these accusations - I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday.
Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, also urged countries to “reconsider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response.”
