Father of killed Canadian aid worker urges Blinken for a tougher US stance on Israel in Gaza
Global News
“If the United States threatened to suspend aid to Israel, maybe my son would be alive today,” John Flickinger said in describing his conversation with Antony Blinken.
When America’s top diplomat called with condolences over the killing of John Flickinger’s son in the Israeli airstrikes on a World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza, Flickinger knew what he wanted to say.
The grieving father told Secretary of State Antony Blinken the killings by Israel in the Hamas-run territory must end, and that the United States needs to use its power and leverage over its closest Mideast ally to make that happen.
Flickinger’s 33-year-old son, Jacob Flickinger, a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen from Quebec, was among the seven humanitarian workers killed in the April 1 drone strikes.
“If the United States threatened to suspend aid to Israel, maybe my son would be alive today,” John Flickinger told The Associated Press in describing his 30-minute conversation Saturday with Blinken.
Flickinger said Blinken did not pledge any new policy actions but said the Biden administration had sent a strong message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the relationship between the United States and Israel may change if the Israeli Defense Forces do not show more care for the fate of civilians in Gaza.
“I’m hopeful that this is the last straw, that the United States will suspend aid and will take meaningful action to leverage change in the way Israel is conducting this war,” John Flickinger said.
Flickinger said Blinken also spoke with his son’s partner, Sandy Leclerc, who is left to care for their 1-year-old son, Jasper.
In addition to Jacob Flickinger, three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national and a Palestinian were killed in the strikes.
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