The Biden government is working to prevent a full-scale Israeli attack on Rafah. If Israel withdraws, it is being offered help, including providing suspected intelligence to help locate Hamas leaders and find hidden tunnels.
US officials have also offered help by providing thousands of shelters so Israel can build tent cities and provide a place to live for Palestinians expelled from Rafah.
President Biden and his aides have been hoping for weeks to persuade Israel to conduct more limited and targeted operations in southern Gaza.
Officials from US agencies have told Israel it will take months to safely relocate Palestinians who now live in shabby and unsanitary conditions in Rafah.
The unusually detailed and sensitive negotiations highlight the enormous risks facing both Israel and the United States.
Following the deaths of nearly 35,000 Palestinians, Biden has openly condemned it and criticized it at home and abroad.
Israeli leaders argue that the attack in Rafah is necessary to eliminate Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7 and killed about 1,200 people. But that would mean destroying the city’s extensive tunnel network, putting thousands of Palestinians at risk.
Also Read: Tommy Tuberville’s Statements on Social Security & Stock Market Stir Debate
This has led US officials to urge a massive, highly complex evacuation plan, which is pressing for an immediate Israel-Hamas conflict.
A senior administration official said, “We have serious concerns about how Israel has prosecuted this campaign, and whether it could all culminate in Rafah.”
According to two people familiar with the discussions, US officials are now working with Egypt to find and cut off tunnels crossing the Egypt-Gaza border in the Rafah area, which Hamas has used to regroup militarily. Have done for.
The US proposals have come during talks between US and Israeli officials over the past seven weeks, but no decision has yet been made on whether Israel will launch a full-scale ground offensive.
According to US officials, Israel has not launched a full-scale attack on Rafah despite several raids in recent days. In private discussions, Israel has taken this seriously and as recently as Friday assured that its troops would not enter the city before evacuating some 800,000 Palestinians.
Biden said this week that he would halt offensive arms transfers to Israel if the country moves forward with the Rafah offensive targeting population centers. It is a significant change for Biden, who has long opposed imposing consequences on Israel for its conduct, and who now faces pressure from fellow Democrats. Netanyahu has responded that Israel will “stand-alone” if necessary.
Biden said Israel had not crossed its “red line” because its forces had not launched an attack or bombardment of densely populated areas of Rafah.
Frank Lowenstein, a former State Department official, and Middle East expert said Biden could give Israel some flexibility, but that could overshadow the scenes of suffering and death and the Biden administration’s projected decision.
Israel has already launched attacks on Rafah, killing dozens of civilians and further crippling already collapsing hospitals. This week, it seized the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, cutting off the main artery through which limited humanitarian aid was being delivered.
The Biden administration blocked a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs this week, making clear that US officials do not take seriously Israel’s promises that it might change its strategy. A senior administration official said the US wanted to signal to the Israelis that Israel would have options if it used counterinsurgency actions in Rafah, which the US opposes.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that Biden would block additional arms shipments if Israel “sabotages” Rafah.
During the Gaza war, Biden has tried to balance support for Israel following its unwavering embrace of Israel. Last Tuesday, at a Holocaust memorial event, he placed Hamas attacks in the context of the Holocaust. On Thursday, he warned that a major attack on Rafah would lead to a cutoff of US arms. On Friday, his administration certified that Israel was violating international humanitarian law, which human rights groups denied.
A senior administration official said that since US-Israeli talks are now focusing on the size of the Rafah revolution, Israeli officials have not balked at US demands, although they disagree that evacuating civilians would be too costly. It will take months.
When you say “facing pressure from far-right cabinet ministers,” you are implying that Netanyahu is facing pressure from ministers in his government who are involved in a protest in Rafah. Demanding a stricter and more aggressive campaign. This pressure may force Netanyahu to take strong action on this issue, which may bring about a change in his government’s policy.
I am Atul Sharma, As a full-time blogger, my focus is on delivering news articles on this platform. Your visit to my blog is highly appreciated. Thank you!