The United States on Monday called a suggestion by an Israeli junior minister of dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza "unacceptable" and urged all sides to avoid "hateful rhetoric."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Sunday suspended Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu from government meetings until further notice, saying that Israel wanted to spare non-combatants in its bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas attacks.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government have repudiated those comments which we also found as wholly unacceptable," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
"We continue to believe that it is important for all sides of this conflict to refrain from hateful rhetoric that is going to further incite tensions," he said.
Eliyahu in an interview with Israel's Kol Barama radio had said he was not entirely satisfied with the scale of Israel's retaliation.
When the interviewer asked whether he advocated dropping "some kind of atomic bomb" on Gaza "to kill everyone," Eliyahu replied: "That's one option."
Eliyahu later said his statement was "metaphorical." Israel is widely known to have nuclear weapons but has never admitted so.
The remarks prompted outrage in the Arab world with Saudi Arabia -- which before the crisis had been in preliminary talks to recognize Israel -- criticizing the Netanyahu government for not dismissing Eliyahu.
Militants from Palestinian group Hamas stormed into Israel on October 7, killing some 1,400 people, mostly civilians, including through targeting homes and revelers at a music festival.
The Hamas-run health ministry says that more than 10,000 people have died since Israel launched retaliatory strikes, with more than 4,000 of them children.
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
for Gaza:
Objectives:
The United States has called for all sides to avoid hateful rhetoric after an Israeli minister suggested dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza.
Current
State-of-the-Art and Limitations:
The Prime Ministers office has suspended the minister from government meetings, however their statement does not go far enough to address the unacceptable suggestion.
Whats New:
The United States has responded to the suggestion with a statement urging all sides to refrain from hateful rhetoric.
Target Audience:
The target audience of this statement is all sides of the conflict in Gaza.Impact:
If successful, this statement will help reduce tensions and prevent further violence.
Risks :
The risk of pursuing this approach is that it may not be enough to significantly reduce tensions or prevent further violence.
Cost :
The cost of pursuing this approach is minimal.
Timeline:
The timeline for achieving results is immediate.
Success Metrics:
The success metric for this approach is a reduction in hateful rhetoric and a lowering of tensions.
DARPA Score: 8/10
The statement issued by the United States is a sensible and measured approach to addressing the unacceptable suggestion by an Israeli minister. It calls for all sides to refrain from hateful rhetoric and helps to lower tensions in the region. While this statement may not be enough to prevent further violence, it is still an important step in the right direction.
