NEW YORK (Dagbladet): Biden and the US have made it clear that they believe an Israeli invasion of the town of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip will lead to enormous civilian suffering.
The US has already put a bomb delivery on hold – reportedly over concerns about how they would be used in densely populated urban areas such as Rafah.
– Civilians have been killed in the Gaza Strip as a consequence of those bombs and other ways they go after population centers, Biden says about the bombs being held back, in an interview with CNN.
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Clear warning
But in the interview he also goes even further with an ultimatum to Israel.
– I have made it clear that if they enter Rafah – they have not entered Rafah yet – if they enter Rafah, I will not send the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – which deals with that problem, says Biden.
Furthermore, he added that the US “is not going to send the weapons and artillery shells”. The move is Biden’s clearest warning to Israel yet.
Curved off the stage
Border crossing control
Israeli ground forces took control of the border crossing from Egypt to Rafah on the Palestinian side overnight, and the Gaza Strip is thus completely cut off from the outside world, but Biden tells CNN that Israel has not crossed the US’s “red line” by entering the most densely populated parts of the city.
– I have made it clear to Bibi (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, editor’s note) and the military government: They are not going to get our support, if they actually go into those population centers, says Biden.
In recent months, Rafah has housed over a million internally displaced people as a result of Israeli ground forces moving into other parts of Gaza. Israel has announced a full-scale operation in the city, despite criticism and condemnation from many quarters.
Disappointed
Israel’s UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan, says in an interview with the Israeli television channel Channel 12 that Israel is “very disappointed by the decision, even frustrated” by the US halting arms deliveries, AP writes.
He also suggests that Biden has succumbed to political pressure from Congress, from the American student demonstrations and the upcoming presidential election.
The decision was also met with harsh criticism from Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell. They say they only learned of the decision through media reports despite the Biden administration telling them there were no plans to halt arms shipments.
In a joint letter, the two republican leaders also ask that elected officials be kept informed on an ongoing basis, and that the pause in arms deliveries be lifted. They claim the situation “may encourage Israel’s enemies”.
