Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a ground assault on Rafah. At least 1.5 million Palestinians are crammed into the border city, many displaced from other regions of the besieged enclave. The White House has requested that Tel Aviv have a plan for the Palestinians before attacking.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said Netanyahu “approved the plans for action in Rafah.” Friday’s announcement, said the military is “prepared for the operational side and for the evacuation of the population.” The statement did not provide details or a timeline for the attack.
Humanitarian organizations have warned an assault on Rafah would exacerbate the catastrophic situation facing the people of Gaza. The attack would go against the wishes of Tel Aviv’s primary backer, Washington.
On Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel would resist all international pressure and go ahead with the operation. “As prime minister of Israel, I reject this pressure. We have been doing this successfully for five months already; this is record time in the history of Israel’s wars,” he told Israeli troops, according to a press release from his office. “I will continue to reject the pressure. We will enter Rafah. We will complete the elimination of Hamas’s battalions. We will restore security and we will bring total victory for the people of Israel and state of Israel.”
The remarks follow criticism of Netanyahu by President Biden and several US requests not to attack without a plan for the Palestinian civilians living in Rafah. Earlier in the week, Tel Aviv said it would create “humanitarian islands” within the Strip for the large number of refugees sure to be displaced by the ground assault.
The plan appeared untenable as there is not enough aid entering Gaza to maintain such “islands,” and Israeli forces have routinely attacked areas deemed safe zones. On Friday, Blinken appeared to reject the humanitarian islands proposal.
“We have to see a clear and implementable plan, not only to get civilians out of harm’s way but also to make sure that once they are out of harm’s way, they are appropriately cared for,” he said.
However, it is unclear what, if any, action the White House will take if Tel Aviv ignores US pleas not to attack Rafah. The United States is Israel’s primary supporter and has substantial leverage over Tel Aviv.
One point of influence is weapon sales. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 69% of Israeli weapons imports from 2019-2023 came from US suppliers. Since October 7, the White House has approved over 100 weapon sales for Tel Aviv, and the US has shipped Israel weapons on a near daily basis.
Still, the White House appears to be unwilling to take any action to rein in Tel Aviv. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday refuted a report from POLITICO that said President Biden was considering conditioning military aid to Israel if it invades Rafah.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Israel is getting too big for their own bloody britches. There really is a time to say, enough is enough, well it is, isn’t it?
Just remember not to dig you own grave, that is a precarious place to be, isn’t it?….
Genocide? If it looks like a turd and smells like one, it IS a turd!!!
Tastes good, though. – Joe Biden
Bibi seems keen of sowing the wind. . .
“The plan appeared untenable…”
Ya think? There IS NO PLAN – except to kill more Palestinians.
“Blinken appeared to reject”
Seriously? This was Blinken LYING!
Is there some reason no one in “journalism” can make these statements? Of course there is – it’s the nature of “journalism” to kow-tow to the PTB. Even Hitler mentioned it in his Mein Kampf – it has been true since the profession was established.
So inapt at both it’s hard to decide, at which is Blinken is worse: lying or faking empathy?
Whatever is convenient and needed at the moment.
“However, it is unclear what, if any, action the White House will take if
Tel Aviv ignores US pleas not to attack Rafah. The United States is
Israel’s primary supporter and has substantial leverage over Tel Aviv.”Action? We are not going to do jack. Biden wants the Zionists to hurry up so that it will not be a “problem” during the home stretch campaigning. This message from Ireland is needed, and was probably ignored by Mr. Biden: https://scheerpost.com/2024/03/12/you-are-betraying-your-ancestors-a-message-to-joe-biden-from-the-graveyard-where-his-ancestors-are-buried/
Well when they run low on ammo and $$ we will resupply them.
Benjamin Netanyahu, in effect, is telling Joe Biden “we bought you and we own you. Please shut up and sit.“
It’s indeed unbelievable that an American president behaves in such a way.
Zionist Biden follows Netanyahu’s instructions only.
1 day closer to plausible Genocide becoming an actual finding of Genocide.
Whenever we think the satanic Zionists have finally reached the pinnacle of brutality and atrocities they come up with more.
And 75 years of actual genocide.
2024 -1619 = 405 years.
The ICJ statement on 16.Feb demanded “immediate and effective” measures to stop killing people. This was a follow up to the ICJ decision to apply “provisional measures” stopping genocide to the Likud/IDF on 26.Jan.
Doesn’t get more blatant than that.
South Africa went back to the ICJ 3.6 requesting it issue new additional provisional measures against Israel given the widespread starvation:
“Palestinians in Gaza are no longer at ‘immediate risk of death by starvation.’ At least 15 Palestinian children- including babies- in Gaza have already died of starvation in the past week alone, with the actual numbers believed to be much higher.” (That number is now 27 dead of starvation.)
ICJ issued press release of SA’s 3.6 request, no further response.
https://icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240306-pre-01-00-en.pdf
No need for additional
Provisional measures – the 16.Feb ICJ finding is more than enough for the UNGA or individual countries to impose sanctions
No int’l law expert here but my understanding is GC signees have an obligation to do what they can to prevent genocide without an ICJ ruling – or maybe I’m confused with Houthi law 🙂
Either way images of babies starving to death have shocked and enraged much of the world & seems momentum’s building – Josep Borrell today addressed EU Parliament(?) saying Israel has intentionally caused the humanitarian crisis, is using starvation as weapon of war & the EU must do something. Unsurprising something means talking but Nicaragua submitted an ICJ application against Germany for violating international law by providing “political, financial and military support to Israel …. In particular, the military equipment provided by Germany enabling Israel to perpetrate genocidal acts and other atrocities…” The ICJ scheduled a hearing for April 8-9.
As for the Borrell, he said the same addressing the UNSC last week, together I take as cya putting distance between it and the US – so I suppose that’s something.
Wishful Thinking…! The Crime Minister thinks all of the Hamas members are cornered in Rafah…! Certainly, Not all of them…! Some along with their captives have found their way to central and northern Gaza via tunnels and will continue their guerilla fight resistance…!
I thought they already had “security” through the occupation of 75 years and the blockade of 17 years.
Nutty Yahoo is the best recruiter for Hamas!
“Wishful Thinking…The Crime Minister thinks all of the Hamas members are cornered in Rafah”
I doubt Israel thinks that. ‘Getting Hamas’ continues to be the ongoing rationale for the ‘unavoidable’ planned murder of a people.
What the German ICJ judge wrote ‘forced him’ to support the plausible genocide charge? The repeated, public Israeli statements of that intent and purpose – statements at every level, from high officials down.
On Friday, Blinken appeared to reject the humanitarian islands proposal. “We have to see a clear and implementable plan, not only to get civilians out of harm’s way but also to make sure that once they are out of harm’s way, they are appropriately cared for,” he said.
But if we don’t see a plan they can go ahead and kill as many as they damn well please and we will express our “frustration” by sending more weapons
CYA, while allowing all to proceed.
Blinken, Biden and Austin should all be prosecuted for Genocide Crimes…!
They will skate, like Westmoreland, Nixon, Kissinger, Abrams, Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice, Austin, etc. etc etc.
It is unbelievable for Joe Biden, and for Blinken and the minions around him, to denounce the murder of innocent civilians in Gaza, women and children, and to continue, with the same enthusiasm, to supply the savage criminals with weapons that enable them to expand the genocide.
What Joe Biden forgets is that he is projecting the image around the world of an American president who has no moral principles and no decency. This will have consequences for years to come.
That’s a shame.
He wouldn’t be popular in US…! He may as well retire in Israel…!
That’s a shame.
Our shame.
“Biden…is projecting the image around the world of [a US] pres. who has no moral principle [or] decency. This will have consequences…. That’s a shame.”
1/ Re “consequences”:
a/ Terrorist acts against the US: “Gaza war may stoke ‘generational’ terrorism threat, top intel official says” (WP, 3/11/24)
b/ Loss of White House to Trump:
i/ “How Democrats are alienating their base by blasting a Gaza war ceasefire” (Al Jazeera);
ii/ “Nervous Democrats Press Biden on Gaza Ahead of [SOTU]” (NYT);
iii/ Biden Campaign Volunteers…Quitting in ‘Droves'” (Newsweek);
iv/ “Does Biden’s unwavering support for Israel risk his chance for re-election?” (Guardian)
2/ Re “Shame”: Not just shame – it makes them criminally complicit:
i/ “ICJ ruling could implicate the US in war crimes” (Guardian);
ii/ “‘I HAVE LOST EVERYTHING’: IN…COURT, PALESTINIANS ACCUSE BIDEN OF COMPLICITY IN GENOCIDE” (Intercept);
iii/ “77 GROUPS WORLDWIDE BACK…LAWSUIT” (Intercept)
3/ Yes – a US court dismissed the lawsuit as ‘beyond its scope’ – but the charge and the reality hang over the US, here and worldwide, discrediting the US as a legitimate actor.
the perpetrators of the Oct 7 attack re being hunted dowvery simple.
Indeed – those IDF that massacred 400+ Israelis on 7.Oct are being KIA’d on both the Northern and Southern Fronts.
Amazing that the IDF perpetrated the worst massacre of Jews since 1945.
The question as to Israel’s right to exist, comes to mind.
… as well, Is Israel the greatest enemy of the US?
The UK is the poodle of the US and the US is the poodle of Israel. One, tiny, evil country is the most powerful in the World and Netanyahu is just as evil as Hitler.
He and his team are even worse if that is possible.
What is the biblical story with regard to Israel challenging God, the father?…. Ah, obviously, Israel’s consistent persistence to do so.
Hasta la vista, Israel?
Who is really in charge of the nation’s Zionist president if not the Zionists in Tel Aviv? Then we know who is in control of the WH.
The US Israel lobby, consisting of a number of powerful and influential organizations, currently led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has increasingly dominated US policy in the Middle East since about 1967. For some time now, that dominance has meant essential control of that policy.
Virtually all American politicians at the federal level and many at state and municipal levels, are aware that the Israel lobby can either provide major support and assistance to their careers or thoroughly destroy them. The lobby does both things fairly routinely. American politicians almost never cross the lobby.
Not even to stand against genocide.
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/israel-lobby-and-us-foreign-policy
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374531508/theisraellobbyandusforeignpolicy
I tend to believe the same is true of NATO members. The USA controls NATO and the EU, the Europeans are vassals. The NS sabotage was an act of war against Germany and the EU, most EU members are also NATO partners. Indirectly the Zionists pressure makes the USA the real world danger. Criminals are in power in Western democracies.
great links, much appreciated.
Would that be the same situation as Mr Netanyahu ‘approved’ for the invasion of Tasmania (Port Arthur)??
A man is languishing in a Tasmanian prison, with NO charges, and has no idea how he was setup as the ‘patsy’ in a massacre of innocent tourists, by Australia’s government.
John Howard, Barry Unsworth, and many more, were part of a massive conspiracy to remove the guns from the hands of Australians, taking a whole ten years to plan and execute.
All world governments can take a leaf from the Australian government handbook, on how to remain corrupt and hide the public’s eyes from any Truths whatsoever..!!
Thumbs down for thread hijacking. Stop it.
Biden provides the bait for people desperate to get some food, they are really easy for IDF scum to mow them down until there is not one left standing. That is how genocide Joe works.