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pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" ♪ > -- >> i'm caitriona perry in washington. this is bbc world news america. joe biden warns israel's prime minister that u.s. policy on gaza will be determined by immediate israeli action to protect civilians and aid workers. >> if there is no changes to their policy or approaches, there are going to have to be changes to ours. >> as nato marks its 75th anniversary, the alliance plans to bolster support for ukraine and what it calls increasing russian aggression. on the 56th anniversary of the assassination of dr. martin luther king jr., we will hear from his son about the civil rights leader's legacy.

♪ caitriona: hello and welcome to world news america. thursday saw some of the strongest language yet from the u.s. presint for its key regional ally israel. in a call described as direct, president joe biden told prime minister bojana netanyahu that strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation in gaza were unacceptable. the leaders spoke for the first time since an israeli airstrike killed aid workers. resident biden told mr. netanyahu that israel needed to introduce a series of measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. in a statement, he said mr. biden made clear that u.s. policy with respect to gaza will be determined by our assessment

of israel's immediate action on these steps. that marks a significant shift in tone for the u.s. john kirby was asked what it means. >> we are looking for concrete steps to be announced soon. it is not just about the announcement of concrete steps and changes in their policies, but the execution of those announcements and decisions and implement them them. -- implementing them. we will watch closely and monitor how they do on the commitments they make, and as i said earlier, if there is no changes to their policy and approaches, then there is going to have to be changes to ours. caitria: and gaza, fears of famine are becoming reality. our correspondent is in jerusalem with more. correspondent: the israeli government is under international pressure to carry out a swift and thorough investigation into the airstrike

of the world central kitchen convoy. in a rare admission of fault, the israeli military acknowledged that this was a mistake and that it happened after a misidentification. we still do not have additional details about this misidentification and how this attack was approved to go ahead. this was a convoy clearly marked with the world central kitchen logo, and the organization said it shared the details of the group's movement with the israeli army precisely to prevent something like this from happening. as real was already under a lot of international pressure because some of the actions of the israeli army in gaza where nearly 33,000 palestinians have been killed according to local authorities, and a humanitarian crisis -- the humanitarian crisis only gets worse. but some of israel's closest allies have accused the country of not doing enough to protect

the civilian population of gaza, to protect aid workers and also creating obstacles to the entry and livery of much-needed humanitarian aid to the population of gaza, weaponizing eight accusations that israel denies. there has been strong condemnation from countries around the world, perhaps a sign that patients with israel could be running out. caitriona: the parents of jacob flickinger, among the seven aid workers killed in the israeli airstrike, have told the bbc that the attack was a crime, and they have rejected israel's explanation. john flickenger and sylvia lerach say the convoy was -- say they believe the convoy was targeted as part of an attempt to weaponized civilians' access to food. they are calling for israel to pay reparations to the families of aid workers killed in gaza,

around 200 since october. our state department correspondent spoke with them. >> the idf knew exactly who they were and where they were. they were targeted as they were leaving, after they dropped the food aid at a known humanitarian warehouse. they were chased down in a sense after the first vehicle was hit. people fled from that vehicle. they were targeted again. the idf continued firing on trucks that were clearly marked with the right logo of the world central kitchen. they continued firing until all the aid workers were dead. israel claims it was a tragic accident. i think there needs to be an independent investigation. if there is a tragic accident, as they claim, i think the idf is inept and incompetent.

i think israel owes the families and the world an explanation. >> do you accept the excavation that this was a mistake? >> no, i think it is a joke. they are saying that in order to protect themselves. but i think it was meant that they wanted to do it in a way that they wanted to keep on starving refugees out there. caitriona: let's go now to the white house and our washington correspondent gary o'donoghue. what exactly do we know about what was discussed on this call between joe biden and benjamin netanyahu? correspondent: i think we got a clear indication that a number of clear demands were made of the israeli prime minister, particularly an immediate

cease-fire and not sort of tying that to the talk of releasing hostages, as the u.s. has often done in the past, but really saying put pressure on your negotiators, please, to bring a deal about. secondly, the threat of changing u.s. policy if israel did not change the way it was conducting the war. if it did not protect aid workers more than it has done, if it did not protect civilians more than it has done, and if it did not allow more aid into gaza , more trucks, a dramatic increase in trucks is what they are calling for, particularly from jordan, which is the border not patrolled by israel or egypt. caitriona: is there any sense that israel is minded to make those changes? does the white house have any expectation of that? gary: i think from what we have seen, and certainly when you look at the way things are reported in israel, this kind of

talk tends to mean that benjamin netanyahu doubles down with his domestic audience, standing up to the aricans, that kind of thing. but he does not have many friends when it comes to this particular conflict. we have already seen the u.s. changes policy with the united nations, where it abstained on that resolution last week to decoupled the idea of a cease-fire from the release of hostages. that infuriated the israelis. america is the buffer between israel and the rest of the world, and there is a risk that if israel does not make these immediate changes in hours or days, then america would be much less of a protection for israel, surrounded as it is by hostile neighbors. caitriona: how much domestic political pressure is joe biden under to take action?

>> i think we have seen in the last few days to some key biden allies, particularly in the senate, people he is close to, people in powerful positions on senate committees saying look, we need to think about conditioning our aid to israel, our military aid to israel, on their behavior. 3.8 billion dollars a year flows from here to there in military aid. that is before you talk about the bigger contracts for f-35's and after 13's and the bombs already in the pipeline. some key people changing their tune on this. that will be felt he at the white house. they will know that it is not just in parts of the country, parts of those swing states where there are key constituencies that are unhappy with the conduct of this war. it is starting to come home to steer amongst thr friends in d.c.. i think that will be something

that will register very strongly on the west wing. caitriona: gary, thank you for that. we are joint and down by a middle east analyst -- joined now by a middle east analyst at john hopkins university and former middle east advisor at the state department for the israel-palestinian negotiating team. what is your interpretation of what joe biden means, his administration means when they say if they do not make changes to their policies, we will make changes to hours? >> i think this phone call was the come to jesus conversation president biden hinted to a couple weeks ago. . caitriona: how serious of a shift is that, we think back to october 7, joe biden flying to israel,

embracing benjamin netanyahu, and this conversation? >> it has been changing. we went from a hug to a businesslike handshake, and today we got a slap on the wrist. it is propagated by israel's relationship in the middle east on the same day that israel mistakenly killed seven aid workers from the west, they deliberately killed iranian generals up in damascus. israel is now under threat. they managed to take off both the americans and the iranians in the same day, and i do not think america is going to leave israel exposed to the israelis as an ally. >> but when they are talking about their part in the u.s. policies potentially changing, what options are open to the biden administration on that front? >> i do think they could slow role weapons delivery. i don't think they will cut them off together. it not only exposes iran to a

critical point in the war, but it exposes president biden to criticism, and his opponent in the race, donald trump, when you ask him his favorite biblical quote, he will tell you and i for and i. -- an eye for an eye. caitriona: there are calls to suspend arms out right in israel. is that a realistic prospect? >> i think it is realistic. i don't think we are there yet. the united statehas been clear that we are in the fog war of laying out redlines. do not cross these lines, israel. they have not done it yet. that's what they say they are doing now. they say they want to see a response from israel and the next hours if not days. as antony blinken says, superpowers do not bluff. there will be consequences. caitriona: from what you know of how these things work, though, how quick or easy is it to cut off arm supplies like that? these deals are done some time

in advance, are today? -- aren't they? >> there is a many years pipeline. it is not like there will be an media turning off of the spigot. israel is heavily reliant on the unitedtates at this point, especially because they are facing a multi-war, multi-front conflict. while we are talking about israel and gaza, if you look at the israeli press and talk to israeli generals, their eyes are on the north. they are expecting a showdown with hezbollah, and israel is heavily reliant on weapons from the united states to prosecute that war. for some israelis, they feel like the true war has not even begun. >> we have heard from the u.s. since the beginning of this phase of the conflict about efforts to stop regional spread and escalation. if they were to cut off arms from what you are describin that would leave israel at least exposed to that level of escalation. >> america has been speak softly

and carry a big aircraft carrier. on one hand, they are getting israel a slap on the wrist. on the other hand, they've got a defensive arm up and israel is relying on the nine and states to intercept -- the united states to intercept missiles. the u.s. is bracing, perhaps tomorrow, a holy day, for a potential strike in its own home territory, and they have cut out messages to the united states that they expect it to intervene or hope it will. caitriona: when it is an election year in the u.s., often these decisions are viewed through that prism. how much do you think the domestic political pressure will be coloring what the biden administraon is deciding? >> it is increasing day by day. this war in gaza has become more and more of a problem for biden on the trail with voters, with hecklers. there is a concept of double drowning in life-saving. when i lifeguard tries to rescue somebody, if the swimmer is

thrashing around so much, he will take the lifeguard down with him. biden wants to avoid a double drowning. netanyahu is clearly washed up, done. i think biden is trying to separate netanyahu and his toxic war policies, what he considers toxic war policies, from the body politic of israel. he is working with israel's see beyond netanyahu, evenng to appealing to the israeli public over the head of their failed leader. caitriona: we will leave it there for today. laura, thanks for joining us on bbc news. >> thank you. caitriona: thursday march exactly 75 years since the founding of the nato, better known as nato. a ceremony was held at nato headquarters in brussels to celebrate the anniversary. it comes less than a month after sweet fully joined nato as the

32nd member, in response to russia's invasion of ukraine. let's take a brief look at some of nato's history. the alliance was founded in the aftermath of world war ii with 12 original member states in 1949. nato did not engage in a single combat operation until february 1994, when it shot down four jets in bosnia. nato invoked article five for the first and only time in its history after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. article five states that if a nato ally suffers an armed attack, it will be considered an attack against all arme allied countries. -- against all allied countries. in 2008, nato allies agreed georgia and ukraine would have a path to eventually join the alliance. months later, russia invaded georgia. in early 2014, russia illegally annexed crimea while russian backed militants seized towns in eastern ukraine. russia launched a full-scale invasion of ukraine in february

2022, and on thursday the war and ukraine dominated discussions at the nato conference. the bbc's defense correspondent reports now from brussels. correspondent: the day started with a ceremony here at nato's headquarters in brussels, marking the 75th anniversary of the creation of the alliance, what the head of nato has described as the most powerful and successful military alliance in history. but it is now being tested over it support for ukraine. that has been the focus of the discussions over the past two days, and yet the head of nato is putting forth proposals to sustain long-term military support and training for ukraine's military for the next five years. those discussions have happened, have not yet reached an agreement, but they hope they will have something concrete when the leaders of nato meet at a summit in washington later this year. that said, while nato has been

focusing on the long-term, ukraine's foreign minister, who has been here, is focusing on the immediate future of ukraine and the threat it faces from renewed russian attacks. the fact is ukrne is running out of band munition. there was an urgent appeal from the foreign minister -- running out of ammunition. there was an urgent appeal from the foreign minister of ukraine for more ammunition. >> i don't want to spoil the party, but my main message today saving ukrainian lives, the economy, the cities depends on air defense systems. this is the only system that can intercept ballistic missiles. and you -- in march, ukraine was hit with 90 ballistic missiles. but providing weapons to pins on ours. they have plenty of them.

this will be my main focus today. jonathan: allies have promised to go back and do all they can to provide ukraine with what it needs, but the key here is american military support. at the moment, the proposed additional support from president biden is being held up in congress. everyone here says that needs to be passed if ukraine is to face down this immediate threat from russia. caitriona: civil rights icon dr. martin luther king jr. was assassinated 56 years ago today. to mark the anniversary, president biden issued a statement saying dr. king is one of his political heroes and his assassination inspired him to leave a prestigious law firm and beginning in public service -- and begin a career in public service. orton lichter king junior was shot and killed while standing on a hotel balcony in memphis in 1968. dr. king famously led thousands in the march on washington, where he gave the i have a dream

speech demanding civil rights for african-americans and the end of segregation. martin luther king iii has taken up human rights activism over the decades. i spoke to him about the anniversary of his father's assassination, which happened was only 10 ars old. caitriona: martin luther king iii, thank you for being with us. marking the 56th anniversary of your father's assassination, the night before he delivered the famous "i've been to the mountaintop" speech, he concludes that by saying i want to let you know we will get to the promised land. how close or far away do you think that promised land is in the u.s. today? >> that is a very good question. i would have to say that if we are to look at it directly as to where we are, 56 years after his assassination, as opposed to us being close together as a nation, we are further apart,

very divided. civility has gone teorarily from the political space. many of the things my father and his team, and my mother throughout her life for, have been basically turned back. history has been excluded from how history is taught. i wod have to say that it does not feel we are going in the direction of the promised land. it feels like we are just maintaining it, and somehow we've got to learn civility, we've got to learn instead, often stated, that we must learn how to nonviolently coexist or we may face nonexistence. that is a real projection, although we do not want to embrace that. we are not going to embrace that. we have to acknowledge where we are if we are ever going to progress forward. >> what do you think your father would say if he is making a similar speech now in these

times? >> if my father had lived, we would be in a different place. we would not be addressing or re-addressing issues that his team or others from a legal perspective put in place laws that are on the books. unfortunately, our political discourse is in real shambles. there are those of us working diligently to protect and expand democracy. in our society, we have some political candidates running for office who want to abolish, through their mode of conduct, what is supposed to be a democratic system. so i think my dad would be challenging us to come together, to move in a direction that will change our nation forever. caitriona: in the u.s., you mentioned this year's election, but we still see efforts to restrict voting rights. what needs to be done to prevent

that happening? >> i think the embracing and engaging of the john lewis voter restorion act that congress is refusing to vote on, that bill would protect and preserve the right to vote for everyone and create a fair set of circumstances, as opposed to gerrymandering that still takes place, as opposed to very strict restrictions in my own state of georgia. you cannot even bring someone water because the voting system is not working properly, where you have so many voters standing in line. voting should be aery easy process. i think we ought to be voting with our phones. we have been doing all kinds of things with our phones. why would we not be able to vote? we need to make it easy to vote, not more difficult. caitriona: just one final question, marking the legacy of your father's assassination, his

legacy lives on through the family, but how were these anniversaries for you personally? he did not have very long with him at all. >> yes, you are absolutely correct. the way i characterize it as i -- is i have a large quality of time, but a small quantity of time. dad was just like our buddy. he took us swimming, he took us riding bicycles, he took us on some of the trips. i got to see him in the context of his work, but i was 10 years old, so i could not truly analyze what he was doing. it was not until he was killed that i realized how significant the work that he and his team were doing was, and over the years, as i read and listened to his sermons and speeches, i began to have a far, far greater appreciation. i think subconsciously i knew it, but consciously i did not. as we approach this time every year, it is emotional.

caitriona: martin luther king iii speaking to me earlier. that is it for the moment. thanks for watching. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financl services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. ♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna nawaz is away. on the "newshour" tonight -- the biden administration warns israel to change the way it is prosecuting the war with hamas or risk losing u.s. support. our exclusive conversation with japanese prime minister fumio kishida on efforts to increase security cooperation in asia.