After the shock over the US abstention in the UN Security Council, which allowed a resolution demanding an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza to be approved, the Israeli government reversed its decision to cancel a visit to Washington. In parallel, Israeli military personnel told various media outlets that Hamas is not destroyed and that without American support this objective will not be achieved.
Concerned about Israeli plans to proceed with a military operation in Rafah, the American president had requested a meeting, but it was canceled following the US abstention in the UN Security Council. “Surprising and unfortunate,” was how State Department spokesman Matthew Miller commented on the cancellation of the Israeli visit. Tel Aviv’s indignation lasted just a few hours. Benjamin Netanyahu’s office contacted the White House to find a new date for the meeting that would have taken place this Wednesday with Israelis Ron Dermer (Minister of Strategic Affairs) and Tzachi Hanegbi (President of the National Security Council) with elements of the Biden administration. “We are working together to find a convenient date,” said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
In recent weeks, Vice President Kamala Harris has been the voice of US discontent over Netanyahu’s Gaza strategy. In her most recent statements to ABC News, she stated that an invasion of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people are gathered, would be “a mistake” and that this would have consequences. Biden administration officials want to explore “alternatives” to the Rafah attack plan with Israel. In addition to the humanitarian issue that is worsening daily, Democrats are also making political calculations. In the most recent Gallup poll, revealed yesterday, 55% of Americans oppose Israel’s war in Gaza, compared to 45% in November. In the Democratic camp, the opposition is majority: only 18% agree with the military operation.
An Israeli soldier, speaking to the The Telegraph, said that Hamas is committed to surviving until the summer, when the election campaign begins in the United States and support for Israel is expected to decline even further. “Pressure is mounting on Israel to reach some kind of agreement, which means Hamas can survive. Both Hamas and the Iranians are playing on this,” he told the British newspaper. To several journalists from international media, the military claims to have “dismantled” 20 of the original 24 Hamas battalions and that the remaining four battalions, “fully operational”, are in Rafah.
Rafah was bombed again, as was the city of Gaza. Israeli forces have been fighting Hamas militants in three hospitals in and around the enclave: in al-Shifa, in the city of Gaza, and in recent days in health units in Khan Yunis, al-Amal and Nasser. Israeli forces say they have killed “dozens of terrorists”.
Tags: Netanyahu backs meeting Washington
