US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to discuss the coming offensive in south Gaza, where Hamas leadership is now holed up. Blinken told the Israelis that they must not operate in the south as they did in the north, and indicated that the U.S. would only support a campaign of several weeks, rather than months, for the IDF to destroy Hamas. “You can’t operate in southern Gaza in the way you did in the north. There are two million Palestinians there,” Blinken said in leaked remarks to the Israelis. “You need to evacuate fewer people from their homes, be more accurate in the attacks, not hit UN facilities, and ensure that there are enough protected areas [for civilians]. And if not? Then not to attack where there is a civilian population. What is your system of operation?” Halevi responded, saying, “We follow a number of principles — proportionality, distinction, and the laws of war. There were instances where we attacked on the basis of those principles, and instances where we decided not to attack, because we waited for a better opportunity.” Gallant added: “The entire Israeli society is united behind the goal of dismantling Hamas, even if it takes months.” “I don’t think you have the credit for that,” Blinken reportedly shot back. Addressing a post-Hamas Gaza Strip, Blinken said, “You don’t want the Palestinian Authority on the day after. We understand that. The best way to kill an idea is to bring a better idea. The other states in the region need to know what you are planning.” Bibi responded to that, saying, “As long as I’m sitting in this chair, the Palestinian Authority, which supports, educates and finances terror, will not rule Gaza on the day after Hamas.” Following the meeting, Blinken said at a joint press conference that he acknowledges the challenges Israel faces, particularly Hamas’s tactic of using human shields, but he insisted that Israel still bears the responsibility to minimize civilian harm. “The way Israel defends itself matters,” Blinken stated. At the outset of the press conference, Blinken expressed the Biden administration’s commitment to extending the pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas, to facilitate the safe exit of hostages from Gaza and ensure the flow of aid into the Strip. “We will not stop working until we get every hostage back home with their families and loved ones,” he said. Blinken reiterated the US’s support for Israel’s goal of dismantling Hamas’s control in Gaza. He condemned Hamas for the October 7th attack, highlighting the group’s claim of responsibility and celebration of the perpetrators as ‘heroic’. “I made clear that before Israel resumes major military operations, it must put in place humanitarian, civilian protection plans that minimize further casualties of innocent Palestinians,” Blinken said. “That means taking more effective steps to protect the lives of civilians, including by clearly and precisely designating areas and places in southern and central Gaza where they can be safe and out of the line of fire.” Additionally, Israel must work to “avoid damage to life-critical infrastructure like hospitals, like power stations, like water facilities. And it means giving civilians who’ve been displaced to southern Gaza the choice […]