US support for Israeli attacks on Gaza, cables of American embassies in the Arab world are revealed

Joe Biden

The Biden administration has received stark warnings from US diplomats in the Arab world that its strong support for Israel's destructive and deadly military campaign in Gaza is "losing us the Arab public for a generation," according to a diplomatic cable obtained by CNN .

The cable underscores deep concern among US officials about the growing anger against the United States that erupted shortly after Israel launched its operations against Hamas, following the militant group's attacks on Israel on October 7 that left more than 1,400 Israelis dead.

"We are losing badly in the messaging battlespace," read a cable Wednesday from the US Embassy in Oman, citing conversations with "a wide range of trusted and discreet contacts." Strong US support for Israel's actions is being seen, the cable warns, "as material and moral culpability in what they consider potential war crimes."

The cable from the embassy was written by the second-highest US official in Muscat and sent to, among others, the White House National Security Council, the CIA and the FBI. While it's just one cable from a regional embassy, ​​it offers a private view of the alarm over the rising anti-American tide sweeping the Middle East.

Another cable obtained by CNN from the US embassy in Cairo relayed to Washington the comment in an Egyptian state newspaper that "President Biden's cruelty and disregard for the Palestinians surpassed all previous US presidents".

President Joe Biden has come under increasing pressure at home and abroad for US support for Israel amid images of the destruction in Gaza and the dire humanitarian crisis in the region. While the administration has resisted calls for a ceasefire, officials have worked to increase aid going to Gaza and pushed for humanitarian pauses to allow more aid to flow into the enclave and allow civilians to flee the fighting.

In recent days, US allies in the Arab world have made clear their deep anger at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Last weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended a summit convened by the Jordanian foreign minister, attended by top diplomats from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as well as the secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Liberation of Palestine.

At the summit, Arab leaders called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, while Blinken reiterated US opposition, arguing that it would give Hamas time to regroup and launch another attack on Israel. The White House said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to go ahead with daily four-hour pauses in military operations in areas of northern Gaza.

Blinken had an agreement in principle on the pauses after his meetings in Israel last week, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came out against the idea of ​​humanitarian pauses on Friday, US officials said.

CNN previously reported that some senior officials privately say there are aspects of Israel's military operations they simply cannot defend; calls for the US to support a ceasefire are growing among government workers; and others are disturbed by the incessant images of Palestinian civilians being killed by Israeli airstrikes. Biden has also faced growing disillusionment at home.

The president confronted a protester calling for a truce at a private fundraiser last week. Pro-Palestinian protests have been a daily occurrence near the White House compound, and this week, one of the entrances near the West Wing was covered in red handprints intended to mimic blood and accompanied by words such as "genocide Joe." (A2 Televizion)