Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday he was determined to send troops to the southern Gaza town of Rafah and would do so without U.S. support.
He made the announcement after meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. President Joe Biden’s administration has urged Israel to halt its invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering.
“Today I met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. I expressed my deep gratitude for our joint efforts in the fight against Hamas for more than five months,” Netanyahu said.
“I emphasized our commitment to evacuating civilians from conflict zones and responding to humanitarian needs. However, I stressed the need to enter the Gaza Strip and neutralize the remaining militias to defeat Hamas,” he added.
“While I expressed hope for U.S. support, I made clear that if necessary, we would proceed independently.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday he was determined to send troops to the southern Gaza town of Rafah and would do so without U.S. support.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with a woman as he meets with protesters calling for the release of hostages kidnapped during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
Blinken, meanwhile, warned Netanyahu that Israel’s security and its place in the world are in peril, and that “you may not realize it until it is too late.” Axios reported citing sources.
“You need a coherent plan, otherwise you’re going to get stuck in Gaza,” Blinken said.
Netanyahu’s statement comes after Russia’s And China vetoed a US draft resolution The United Nations calling for an “immediate and lasting” ceasefire Gaza.
In a phone call with Netanyahu last week, Biden told the Israeli prime minister that it would be a “mistake” to launch an offensive on Rafah.
“A major ground operation would be wrong; it would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen lawlessness in Gaza, and further isolate Israel internationally,” the House national security adviser said. Blanche, Jake Sullivan, in the press release. press briefing Monday where he read out the leaders’ appeal.
During their call, the first time Biden and the Israeli prime minister spoke in a month, Biden asked Netanyahu to send a team of military, intelligence and humanitarian officials to Washington to discuss Israel’s plans for Rafah and to define an alternative approach that would target Hamas and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a full-scale invasion.
Netanyahu agreed and the advisers were scheduled to travel to Washington DC next week.
Blinken told reporters he was on the right track.
“We look forward to meeting with Israeli officials in Washington next week to discuss a different way to achieve these goals.” Objectives that we share: defeating Hamas and ensuring the long-term security of Israel. This really requires an integrated humanitarian, military and political plan. Like I said, we’ll talk about it next week,” he said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Tel Aviv, Israel
Muslims perform the second Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan among the rubble of the Al-Farooq mosque destroyed during the Israeli attack in Rafah
Palestinians look at house destroyed in Israeli airstrike in Rafah
Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday after spending time in Carioca and Saudi Arabia, seeking support for a ceasefire deal.
Before his stop in Israel, Blinken said an invasion of Rafah would be “a mistake,” adding that a truce deal was “possible.”
“This is a false choice…Hamas can be fought effectively without a major ground operation in Rafah,” Blinken said.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned of a looming famine facing 2.4 million people in the besieged Palestinian territory, where more than five months of war have largely destroyed civilian infrastructure and displaced most. Population.
The secretary of state’s meeting with Netanyahu and his war cabinet came amid tensions with the Biden administration.
This week, Netanyahu convened a lunch of Republican senators in the Senate, but Senate Democrats did not invite him following Minority Leader Charles Schumer’s speech calling for new elections in Israel and saying Netanyahu had “lost his path “.
“Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah,” Schumer said, in a speech President Biden called “good.”
The talks aim to establish a pause in fighting and the return of around 200 hostages captured by Hamas in the October 7 attack, with negotiations focusing on Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Meanwhile, with the failure of the US-backed resolution at the UN, France steps in to try to revive efforts.
“After the veto of Russia and China a few minutes ago, we will resume work on the basis of the French draft resolution in the Security Council and work with our American, European and Arab partners to reach an agreement” , declared French President Emmanuel Macron. Friday.