President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Israel’s plans to capture the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza before the Israeli military launched the operation, Axios reported on Tuesday.
The report said that the operation didn’t cross Biden’s “red line,” although it’s unclear if the US has actually set red lines for Israel. US officials have said they’re opposed to a “major operation” in Rafah since it would incur huge civilian casualties. But the capturing of the border crossing will have a devastating impact on civilians since it cut off vital aid deliveries, and it’s unclear when or if they will resume.
A senior Israeli official told Axios that during the call with Netanyahu, Biden didn’t “didn’t pull the hand break on the capture of the Rafah crossing during the call.” Two US officials said Biden didn’t view the current Israeli operations as a “breaking point” in relations.
On Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US was not opposed to the operation.
“We’ve been very consistent about our concerns of a major ground operation in Gaza that would put at great risk the refugees that are still there, and nothing’s changed about that,” Kirby said. “The Israelis have told us … that that’s not what this is.”
He said that Israel assured the US that the operation was “of limited scope, scale, and duration, and aimed at cutting off Hamas’ ability to ship arms across the Rafah border.”
Israeli tanks and soldiers took the border crossing as Israeli strikes pounded the city of Rafah, killing at least 23 Palestinians, including five women and six children.
“Biden Gave Netanyahu the Green Light…”? Please. I will reflip my own broken record: Does Biden decide anything at all? I know the answer to my own repeated question. YMMV.
And if Biden was deciding things on his own, the decision would have been the same.
The word complicity, comes strongly to my mind, when I think about how the US continues to feed the angry demon that seems to possess Israel.
There is always a price to pay, in that sense.
Biden wants it to be over quickly so there will be no interference with campaigning. Same as Bibi wants to, only for a different reason; to keep out of jail. Just like Protective Edge and Cast Lead, the genocide will be forgotten, amnesia will set in. The media will stop talking about it (as if they do now), save for broadcast stations like Democracy Now, Mintpress. There are others. Not as powerful as the NYT or WAPO. Humanitarian supplies may get through the Rajah opening. Not much to make a difference. No one will be allowed to flee. The other day I read that the IDF was preventing young Palestinian men from leaving Gaza. There has been talk of Israel and an Arab state occupying Gaza, probably Saudi Arabia. Same predicament for the Palestinians as before. Only worse. The killing will accelerate again. Al Jazeera gone, other unable to report as well, Israel can do what it wishes, and Israel wishes the Palestinians to be gone.
Hard not to read this as a game – a con – what happened to the “plan?” Remember Israel had a team flying to DC to go over w/whoever the “plan” – then Netanyahu canceled bc Biden was a bad boy then sent his team the following week?
So what happened to the plan? All that’s going on here is a phone all, a couple promises and another meaning-less Biden threat – as if the zionists have more than a passing acquaintance w/the truth…..
Biden told Netanyahu he opposed a major ground operation in Rafah. And guess what – “They didn’t describe it as a major ground operation,” Kirby said.
There are 7 Border Crossings in Gaza, 0 open and Biden wants 2 open “as soon as possible,” Rafah & Kerem Shalom. Yeah that sounds like a Famine Plan.
Or BB just had Biden fed a script, whence they enacted this little childrens’ show.
Biden and Bibi playing that old game of “Red Line, Green Light” again, eh?
Those committing genocide are still in the act of doing so on world news. It is daily torture of humanity backed by goons dressed in battle armor exactly like Hollowood depictions of evil space empire bad guys attacking the side of good innocent families.
Where is Obi-Wan Kenobi? We need at least one angel student with super powers.
All of this stuff is Muhammad Ali’s “rope-a-dope” – some meaningless by-play while the US and Israel try to get the wider war going. It’s all a con game to deflect from the real goal of eliminating the Palestinians, Hezbollah, Syria, Yemen and Iran. Which of course is going to fail just like the con game to use the Ukrainians to topple the Russian government and just like the con game to use Taiwan to start a war with China will fail.
That’s expected from a man who affirms his allegiance and loyalty to zionism than the laws of the united states and its constitution.
Israel is the United States.
The United States is Israel.
A Colonial-settler land.
The Promised Land,
Manifest Destiny is our stand.
A land with no people for
A people with no land.
Indian Territory(ies)
Palestinian Territory(ies)
Occupied Palestinian Territory(ies)
Illegally Occupied Palestinian Territory(ies)
An Indian Reservation
A Palestinian Area of Perseveration.
“Area C”, Palestine?, you pray.
“Not reservations, Bantustans,” you say.
Apartheid is the only way.
Different names for the same thing,
Ethnic Cleaning and Genocide.
The truth you can’t hide.
One and the same.
The Principle of Identity,
A difference only in name.
dennis hanna
Green light to the red line. Sounds about right for White House babble.
The presidency is devolving into an obscenity. The shame of it will haunt this nation into inevitable obscurity, like all prior failures of total conquest.
Biden doesn’t have a red line insofar as Israel’s genocidal madness is concerned.
He has a yellow stain.
If Bibi comes to DC to address a joint session of “congress” that will be the World Series.
Kirby also said the U.S. is working to ensure the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and is urging Israel to immediately reopen the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings for assistance.
Who the fuck does he think he is bullshitting? There WAS humanitarian aid flowing BECAUSE Israel didn’t control the crossing. The only thing that okaying the capture of the crossing ensured was that the aid will no longer flow uninterrupted.