Joe Biden tells Benjamin Netanyahu that the Rafah offensive in Gaza will be a mistake.
Washington:
U.S. President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that a large-scale ground offensive against Gazarafa would be a “mistake,” a month after the two leaders raised tensions First speech.
The White House said Netanyahu also agreed to Biden’s request to send a delegation of senior Israeli officials to Washington to discuss Israel’s Rafah plan and possible “alternatives.”
But Netanyahu said he insisted Biden achieve all of Israel’s war goals against Hamas, a sign of the increasingly difficult relationship between the two countries. Hamas is the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on October 7.
The two last spoke on February 15, with Biden becoming increasingly outspoken in his criticism of the Palestinian death toll and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine.
Biden recently said he would have a “come to Jesus meeting” with the Israeli prime minister as his dissatisfaction with Netanyahu grows.
“The president explained why he is so deeply concerned about the prospect of a major Israeli military operation in Rafah,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told a news conference on Monday.
“Conducting a major ground operation there would be a mistake that would result in the deaths of more innocent civilians, exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen anarchy in Gaza, and further isolate Israel internationally,” Sullivan said.
Biden had asked Netanyahu to send a senior team of military, intelligence and aid officials to Washington to “hear U.S. concerns about the current Rafah plan” and discuss plans involving targeted attacks on Hamas. “alternative method”.
Sullivan said Netanyahu agreed “to have this discussion and engagement.”
Sullivan described the call as “pragmatic.” Explaining why the two leaders had not spoken for 32 days, Sullivan said Biden was reserving his appeal to Netanyahu until “when he believes there is a critical strategic moment.”
-“War Goals”-
Biden has supported Israel since the Oct. 7 attack and visited the country shortly after, as the United States continues to provide billions of dollars in aid to its key ally.
But Biden has become increasingly vocal in his criticism of the Palestinian death toll and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Democrats worry that growing domestic opposition could hurt his chances in November’s presidential election.
Netanyahu issued a statement after the call saying he reiterated “Israel’s commitment to achieving all war objectives.”
The Israeli prime minister said his goal was to eliminate Hamas, free all hostages and “ensure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel.”
He also pointed to the provision of “necessary humanitarian assistance that will help achieve these goals.”
According to official statistics from Agence France-Presse, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on October 7, killing about 1,160 people in Israel, most of them civilians. After that, Israel began ruthless bombing of Gaza and simultaneously launched a ground offensive. .
The militants also took hostages, of whom Israel believes around 130 remain in Gaza, 33 of whom are presumed dead.
Nearly 32,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled region.
As tensions with Netanyahu escalate, Biden pointedly praised Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s “brilliant speech” last week calling for new elections in Israel.
With the United Nations warning of impending famine in Gaza, Biden earlier this month ordered U.S. troops to begin airdropping food into the enclave and sent troops to build a makeshift port to provide maritime aid.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
