In mid-March, US officials told the Politico news site that US President Joe Biden would consider limiting future military aid to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went ahead with an offensive against Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
Days before, Biden said in an interview that such an IDF move into the city would be a “red line,” while adding that he was “never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical.”
Vice President Kamala Harris famously said at the time that she had “studied the maps” and that a Rafah operation was not viable, while warning of potential consequences.
The US wasn’t the only country to use unusually harsh language in warning against the step. An Israeli offensive in Rafah “could only lead to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and would be a turning point in this conflict,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. The UK, Jordan and Egypt also issued stark injunctions.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
