Gaza War at NATO Summit
Plus: Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks; Israel-Hezbollah escalation.
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The war in Gaza has entered this week's NATO summit, which celebrates 75 years of collective defense.
While the primary focus of the agenda is providing assistance to Ukraine in its war against Russia, the war in Gaza has also drawn criticism from some NATO members.
U.S. President Joe Biden defended his handling of the Gaza war and highlighted progress on a ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas. While the conference was dominated by questions about his age and fitness for office, Biden acknowledged that Israel has been "less than cooperative" with the United States regarding aid access to the Gaza Strip. He expressed support for Israel but noted that his administration has consistently urged Israel to minimize civilian harm and increase humanitarian aid access in the Palestinian enclave.
However, Biden faces pressure from some Democrats who believe the United States should use its military assistance to Israel as leverage to reduce the violence in Gaza, where local health authorities report over 38,000 deaths in the more than nine-month war.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that NATO cannot continue its partnership with the Israeli administration.
"Until comprehensive, sustainable peace is established in Palestine, Turkey will not approve cooperation with Israel within NATO," Erdogan said at a news conference during the NATO summit.
Furthermore, Erdogan accused Biden and his administration of being complicit in what he termed Israeli war crimes and violations of international law in the Gaza conflict, calling for sanctions against Israel.
Turkey, a NATO member, has condemned Israel's assault on Gaza, halted trade with Israel, and expressed support for Hamas. It has consistently criticized Western countries for backing Israel and has called for Israel to be punished by international courts.
Speaking at a NATO summit, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged alliance partners to demonstrate the same "unity and consistency" on Gaza as they have shown on Ukraine.
"We cannot be accused of applying double standards that would weaken our support for Ukraine. On the contrary, we demand the same unity and consistency for Gaza as we do in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," Sanchez told fellow NATO heads of state or government at an Atlantic Council session in Washington.
He emphasized, "It is important for our citizens to understand that we have a consistent political stance and that there are no double standards. If we're telling our people that we support Ukraine because we defend international law, we must do the same for Gaza. If we demand respect for international law in Ukraine, we must demand it in Gaza as well."
Spain, Ireland, and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state in May, aiming to refocus attention on efforts to find a political solution to the war in the Middle East.
Gaza's ceasefire talks
Israel bombarded Gaza City throughout the week and intensified its operations in Rafah and other parts of Gaza, leading to some of the deadliest attacks in months.
Israeli officials have stated that the heightened assaults are intended to weaken Hamas' military capabilities and strengthen Israel's negotiating position. Nevertheless, Israel's increased bombings, displacement, and casualties in Gaza would not change Hamas's stance on ceasefire talks.
Washington is advocating for a peace agreement in Egypt and Qatar to conclude the Gaza war.
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad official reported that the latest talks between Hamas and Israel ended without any agreements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of making contradictory demands to a framework deal facilitated by Washington, though he did not specify the demands.
Hamas accused Israel of "stalling to undermine the current negotiations, as it has done in past rounds," all of which have failed since a week-long truce in November.
Recent negotiations in Qatar and Egypt followed significant concessions from Hamas, which accepted a truce proposal by dropping its demand for a permanent ceasefire.
Hezbollah-Israel escalation
Linked to the Gaza conflict, the military clashes involving Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah, which assert their support for Hamas, are escalating progressively.
This week, an Israeli strike in Syria resulted in the death of a former bodyguard of Hezbollah's leader, Yasser Nemr Qranbish, according to Hezbollah. In retaliation, Hezbollah launched numerous Katyusha rockets targeting an Israeli military base in the Golan Heights, resulting in two casualties, according to Israeli police.
Hezbollah's attacks against Israel began following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, initiated by Hamas in southern Israel.
Since then, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have caused over 450 casualties, primarily Hezbollah fighters but also more than 80 civilians. On the Israeli side, 17 soldiers and 13 civilians have died since the Gaza conflict began, according to AP News. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border have been displaced during the months-long conflict.
Last week, Hezbollah launched over 200 rockets and drones at Israeli military positions in response to the killing of Muhammad Nimah Nasser, a Hezbollah senior commander. In the same week, Hezbollah fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at Israel's Mount Meron air traffic control and surveillance base after Israeli airstrikes killed Maytham Mustafa Al Attar in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. The rockets damaged equipment at the crucial surveillance base in northern Israel.
The mounting tension between Hezbollah and Israel is adding pressure to ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, emphasized that the only way to halt hostilities across the border was to negotiate an end to the fighting in Gaza.
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Cover photo: NATO