Current:Home > NewsIn call with Blinken, father of killed aid worker urges tougher US stance on Israel in Gaza -Mastery Money Tools
In call with Blinken, father of killed aid worker urges tougher US stance on Israel in Gaza
View
Date:2025-04-17 10:03:12
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — When America’s top diplomat called to offer condolences over the killing of his son in the Israeli airstrikes that hit a World Central Kitchen convoy delivering aid in Gaza, John Flickinger knew what he wanted to say.
The grieving father told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that 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, 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 Gaza’s civilians.
“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.
John Flickinger described his son as “larger than life,” a “loving son, a devoted dad and new father and a very loving companion to his life partner.”
Jacob Flickinger was remembered as a lover of the outdoors who ran survival training retreats and was involved in mountaineering, rock climbing and other adventure activities. He spent about 11 years serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, including eight months in Afghanistan.
The elder Flickinger said his son knew going to Gaza was risky, but he discussed it with family members and volunteered in hopes of helping Palestinians in Gaza that aide groups say face imminent famine.
“He died doing what he loved, which was serving and helping others,” said Flickinger, whose own nonprofit, Breakthrough Miami, exposes underrepresented students to academic opportunities and prepares them for college.
World Central Kitchen representatives have said they informed the Israeli military of their movements and the presence of their convoy.
Israeli officials have called the drone strikes a mistake, and on Friday the military said it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles. The officers mishandled critical information and violated rules of engagement, the military said.
But John Flickinger said that in his view the strike “was a deliberate attempt to intimidate aid workers and to stop the flow of humanitarian aid.”
World Central Kitchen has since ceased food deliveries in Gaza, Flickinger noted, and he said it looks like Israel is “using food as a weapon.”
The Canadian government has been communicating with the family and is offering financial support to move Leclerc and Jasper from Costa Rica, where the family lives, back to Quebec province to be closer to family, Flickinger said.
Flickinger said his son’s remains are in Cairo pending the issuance of a death certificate by Palestinian authorities. Once that happens, the family has made arrangements for them to be transported to Quebec.
veryGood! (47)
Related
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- To Build, Or Not To Build? That Is The Question Facing Local Governments
- Short-lived revolt by Wagner group head Yevgeny Prigozhin marks extraordinary challenge to Putin's hold on power
- A second Titanic tragedy: The failure of OceanGate's Titan
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Wagner Group's Russia rebellion doesn't speak well for Putin, former U.S. ambassador says
- Here's the Truth About Those Tom Brady and Reese Witherspoon Dating Rumors
- Ahead Of Climate Talks, China Vows To Stop Building Coal Power Plants Abroad
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Kevin Spacey's U.K. trial on sexual assault charges opens in London
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Goodbye, Climate Jargon. Hello, Simplicity!
- Teen on doomed Titanic sub couldn't wait for chance to set Rubik's Cube record during trip, his mother says
- Scientists Are Learning More About Fire Tornadoes, The Spinning Funnels Of Flame
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- The Dixie Fire Has Destroyed Most Of A Historic Northern California Town
- The Western Wildfires Are Affecting People 3,000 Miles Away
- Gina Rodriguez Reveals Name of Her and Joe Locicero's Baby Boy
Recommendation
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
To Build, Or Not To Build? That Is The Question Facing Local Governments
Zayn Malik Teases Recording Studio Session in Rare Photo
Responders Are Gaining On The Caldor Fire, But Now They've Got New Blazes To Battle
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
MrBeast YouTuber Chris Tyson Is Undergoing Hormone Replacement Therapy
See Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber’s Sweet PDA Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Former student arrested in hate-motivated stabbing at Canadian university gender studies class