Israeli war leader confronts Netanyahu over Gaza policy

JERUSALEM, Jan 20 (BBC/Reuters): A key member of Israel's war cabinet has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not telling the truth about the military goals in Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu has publicly rejected the US push for a future Palestinian state and insisted the offensive would continue "until complete victory". But Gadi Eisenkot said those advocating "absolute defeat" of Hamas were not "speaking the truth".
The retired general's son was killed fighting in Gaza. He also said Mr Netanyahu shared "sharp and clear responsibility" for failing to protect his country on 7 October and urged fresh elections, saying there was "no trust" in Israel's current leadership.
Hamas killed around 1,300 people and took 240 hostages in their surprise attack on southern Israel. Almost 25,000 people have been killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza since, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Tensions among the cabinet, with reports that the prime minister and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are barely on speaking terms, come as the chasm between Israel and its Western allies widens.
After Mr Netanyahu's comments on Palestinian statehood, the White House national security adviser John Kirby said the United States and Israel "clearly see things differently".
A State Department spokesman said that there was no way to solve Israel's security challenges without a Palestinian state. The White House said President Joe Biden discussed a two-state solution with Mr Netanyahu during a call on Friday - the first in nearly a month.
Later Mr Biden spoke to reporters in Washington and when asked by one if a two-state solution was impossible with Mr Netanyahu in office, he replied: "No, it's not".
"There are a number of types of two-state solutions. There's a number of countries that are members of the UN that... don't have their own militaries," Mr Biden said.
But Mr Netanyahu has spent his career resisting a Palestinian state and just last month boasted that he was proud to have prevented it. The timing of yet another rebuttal of the Biden Administration will heighten a sense of his growing international isolation.
The US has repeatedly tried to influence Israel's military strategy during this conflict - urging more precision-guided attacks in Gaza as opposed to the blanket air strikes; delaying or abandoning the ground invasion; and engaging in meaningful talks on a two-state solution in which Israel would neighbour a future Palestinian state, with a role for the Palestinian Authority.
But the calls have often been rejected by Mr Netanyahu during tense meetings with US officials, deepening the frustration in some American circles over President Biden's unconditional support for Israel.

Netanyahu not opposed to two-state
solutions for Palestinians: Biden
US President Joe Biden on Friday said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about possible solutions for creation of an independent Palestinian state, suggesting one path could involve a non-militarized government.
Biden's call with Netanyahu was the first in nearly a month, the White House said, noting the discussions focused on Israel's ongoing strikes in Gaza.
White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Biden had been trying to schedule the call "for quite a bit of time" and denied it came in response to Netanyahu's comment on Thursday saying he objected to Palestinian statehood that did not guarantee Israel's security.
Asked if a two-state solution was impossible while Netanyahu was still in office, Biden said, "No, it's not."
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with US mayors, Biden said Netanyahu was not opposed to all two-state solutions, and there were a number of types possible, noting that some United Nations members do not have military forces.
Biden was asked if he would reconsider conditions on Israel aid given Netanyahu's comments rejecting a two-state solution. "I think we'll be able to work something out ... I think there's ways in which this could work," he said.
Biden and Netanyahu also discussed efforts to secure the remaining hostages held by Hamas, and Israel's shift to more "targeted" operations in Gaza to allow more humanitarian assistance to come through, the White House said.
Biden has been pressuring Israel to reduce Palestinian deaths even as he has maintained his strong support of Israel in its war against Hamas. But the two men do not see eye-to-eye on Palestinians having a state, a solution Biden has advocated to achieve long-term peace.
"The president also discussed his vision for a more durable peace and security for Israel fully integrated within the region and a two state-solution with Israel's security guaranteed," the White House said in a statement about their call.
Netanyahu had said in a press conference that he told Washington he objected to any Palestinian statehood that did not guarantee Israel's security. "Israel must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River. That's a necessary condition," he said.
Biden's call came as Red Crescent officials accused Israel of firing on a hospital in Khan Younis, the main city in the southern part of Gaza.
Israel launched a major new advance in Khan Younis this week to capture the city, which it says is now the primary base of Hamas fighters who attacked Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and precipitating a war that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza health ministry said 142 Palestinians had been killed and 278 injured in Gaza over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll from more than three months of war to 24,762.
Asked about a request by Mexico and Chile for the International Criminal Court to investigate potential crimes against civilians in Gaza, Kirby said the United States was still gathering more information about what that would entail.
"We don't have any indications that there's deliberate ... efforts to commit war crimes by the Israeli Defense Forces," Kirby said.
Kirby also expressed concerns about reports from Palestinian health officials who said a 17-year-old Palestinian-American teenager was killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank on Friday.
"We're seriously concerned about these reports," Kirby said. "We're going to be in constant touch with counterparts in the region to get more information."