'Intensifying Israel-Palestine Conflict' US-Jordan 4-Party Talks Canceled...Biden's First Visit to Israel (Summary)

U.S. President Joe Biden boarded a plane bound for Israel to resolve the armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. However, just hours before his departure, the Israeli military reportedly bombed a hospital, a civilian protection facility in the Gaza Strip, plunging the Middle East situation into a new turmoil. With uncertainty over whether this war will escalate into a pan-Arab intervention or remain a localized conflict, the international community is closely watching President Biden's efforts to prevent further escalation.

President Joe Biden of the United States. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

According to major foreign media including Bloomberg on the 17th (local time), President Biden departed for Tel Aviv, Israel, from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC in the afternoon (Eastern Time) on a special plane. Originally, he planned to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is leading the operation against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel on the 18th, then move to Jordan for a four-party meeting with the Egyptian President, Jordanian King, and the head of the Palestinian Authority.

However, the four-party meeting was canceled due to an explosion disaster at a hospital in the Gaza Strip just before his departure. The Israeli military carried out a war crime-level provocation by bombing a hospital full of refugees and patients in Gaza in the afternoon, killing at least 500 people, which has fueled anger against Israel in the Middle East. Jonathan Conricus, spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, stated, "We did not attack (the hospital)," adding, "According to our intelligence, it appears to be due to a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad."

The New York Times (NYT) noted that the major variable of the hospital bombing by the Israeli military just before President Biden's visit has made it more complicated for Biden and the U.S. to find a diplomatic solution. Under international law, killing civilians unrelated to combat or destroying civilian protection facilities such as hospitals during war constitutes a war crime.

Charles Lister, head of counterterrorism at the Middle East Institute, pointed out, "The timing of (President Biden's) visit could not be worse," adding, "The bombing of the Gaza hospital is pushing the Israel-Palestine conflict and diplomatic situation into the worst state of tension."

The Palestinian Authority has declared the airstrike a 'hospital massacre' and announced a three-day mourning period. The Palestinian Authority condemned, "The massacre at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital is unprecedented in history," adding, "We have witnessed many tragedies in past wars, but this is different. What happened tonight amounts to genocide."

The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for more than 20 hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, raising concerns about further casualties, while the international community including the World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly condemned Israel's airstrikes. The WHO stated, "Al-Ahli Hospital is one of the 20 hospitals in northern Gaza for which the Israeli military issued evacuation orders," adding, "Considering the critical condition of inpatients and the availability of ambulances, personnel, and bed capacity, it was impossible to comply with the evacuation order."

Residents of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, are searching for survivors among the rubble of buildings collapsed due to Israeli military bombings on the 17th (local time).
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, following President Biden, European leaders are also visiting Israel one after another. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who visited Israel earlier on the same day, urged humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian situation has reached its limit due to Israel's blockade. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is scheduled to visit Israel on the 19th, and French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly coordinating detailed plans for his visit to Israel.

The rush of Western leaders to visit Israel is analyzed as an effort to prevent the Israel-Palestine armed conflict from spreading into a geopolitical risk across the entire Middle East region. If Iran, identified as backing Hamas, fully enters the war and it escalates into a full-scale war between Iran and Israel, a humanitarian catastrophe as well as massive economic losses will be inevitable.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.