© Image source/GPO via Times of Israel
Biden had reiterated to Netanyahu that the US sees a Rafah invasion as a "mistake" given the presence of over one million internally displaced Palestinian civilians in the city amid an already soaring death toll.
"The Americans asked that we not do an operation in Rafah," Netanyahu told defense officials. "But there is no other choice. We need control over the Philadelphi Route," he continued in refence to the Egypt-Gaza border area.
A White House spokesman on Monday stated that the US administration has yet to see a viable plan from the Israelis on ensuring the safety of refugees. "More than a million people have taken refuge in Rafah. Israel has not presented us or the world with a plan for how we're where they can safely move those civilians - let alone feed and house them," NSC spokesman Sullivan said at a briefing.
Netanyahu appeared to directly answer this criticism in his Tuesday remarks. He said that "from Israel's standpoint, there is nothing preventing Gazans from leaving, but there aren't countries in the world that are ready to receive them." Earlier in the conflict, Israel reportedly leaned on neighboring Arab countries to accept the spillover of refugees, which was a non-starter.
The UN has meanwhile issued a report warning that famine is imminent across the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed Tuesday, saying the whole population is now experiencing "severe levels of acute food insecurity."
"According to the most respected measure of these things, 100 percent of the population in Gaza is at severe levels of acute food insecurity. That's the first time an entire population has been so classified," he said during an official visit to the Philippines.
Qatar has said it remains "cautiously optimistic" as Israeli negotiators arrive in Doha for more efforts to nail down a ceasefire and hostage/prisoner exchange deal. However, both sides have still condemned the 'delusional' conditions (to use Netanyahu's words) of the other.
The EU has been piling on pressure...
But Netanyahu is still pledging to enter Rafah, and the major operation looks to be imminent, despite the mounting international pressure for such a plan to be halted.
Reader Comments
Israel has helped in founding of Hamas
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who is Hamas, I am Hamas!
Yes it’s a slaughter of Palestinians by Zionists, Khazars and Ashkenazi cults just as they did in Roman times, but in a scale that’s today is called a genocide. All watched by us goyem, you and me. But then again, the real daily horrors of American missiles and American bombs from American aircraft that are annihilating Palestinians defenceless, men, women and children starved before death, is cleansed for the western palette! Well they wouldn’t want to show the world Netanyahu’s real death face of the death cult who consider themselves as living Gods!
There is no way to destroy Hamas.
Even if you kill each and every Palestinian native in Palestine,after Bibi's recruitment drive for Hamas you will discover many fold supporters worldwide. Not twofold or five fold but ten or twenty fold.
By your hatred and violence Oh Israel you are feeding the beast.
You told us you were civilised, I beg to differ.
The Founder of Rebel News Reports on the Online Harms Act. How Is Ezra's Objectivity Affected by His Role as an Agent of the Israel Lobby and Christian Zionism
ANTHONY JAMES HALL MAR 20, 2024
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The Online Harms act according to Prof. Hall is a 100% creation of the Zionist lobby in Canada. The article details how it was created and what it means if it passes. It's way worse than I thought. If it passes folks like us will be locked up for 'past' speech crimes. Looks like the Bolsheviks are back !! Time to look at asylum in the USA !!
Damn.
Peace is ours by doing the hard work of keeping the rogues at bay, If we allow ourselves to be duped by words and media for the next generation to fight and die in old men's corporate wars we will always be the losers.
At this time it is clear some demons are out of control on all sides!
hear my answer.
My Great grandparents were British Israelites, a christian Zionist movement from the 1870s who believed that the British were the lost tribe of Israel. Their fight against the devil and anti-christ took place in the second world war when they were old, their children fought Hitler (the antichrist) and according to their theory after the second world war there should have been a thousand years of peace. They thought they won.
The Jewish Zionists took the same structure and adapted the parts they needed for Judaism, and then applied it to the Israel project.
Zionism is not exclusively Jewish. Jews are not per se Zionists. Many Jews are not for Zionism. Judaism is a religion, Zionism is a political project .
If you cannot understand that just because someone is Jewish doesn't make you a Zionist, I call you out.
Yes my country (the UK) created this disaster, It is not a good thing for the Palestinians or the Jews to be deceived by wealthy oligarchs even if they do own the Banks.
Zionism, is the putrefaction of everything beautiful in humanity. Mmmm…… so I’m not here to decry the dead, sorry your dead ancestors.
You carefully don’t mention the Talmud and its filth, but that might have something to do with Zionists praying on humanity.
a Zionist is a liar, plain and simple. Of course for their own ends. Muddying the waters as previously stated. Well done!
We need a UNSC Resolution 1973 equivalent applied to Israel
The UN has been compromised, confronted and ignored. Western political elites are toothless against the counter intelligence ops carried out by Israel, (Epstein etc...).
There is no winning hand in this state of affairs. The Palestinians are not free to travel.
We the innocent members of all humanity are all held hostage through the ,very deliberate mess.
To stop the slaughter in Gaza it requires an independent screen of peacekeeping troops pointing their weapons at both sides. They cannot be UN troops, they are ignored after vetoes.
. They cannot be British or USA they are the enemy of Palestine.
If the plan was to expel the natives or kill them Britain and USA are complicit.
What a mess.
So with no armistice the fighting will go on. You see Hamas was never the only problem despite what the western media say.
Seriously, I think if you consider things carefully, you're going to have to admit that, as cogent as your argument may be, it all boils down to four words: Peace Is Not Profitable.
Politicians are usually technically incompetent, it is why they politic.