The White House is considering its options to retaliate if Israel ignores President Joe Biden’s repeated warnings to launch a military incursion into Rafah, according to some officials – NBC News reported.
The discussions come amid growing concern within the administration and frustration among Democrats in Congress that President Biden’s requests will simply be ignored by Israeli Prime Minister. On top of that, Israel came ever closer this week to launching an incursion into the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip.
The US has not placed any conditions on military support for Israel, although Biden administration officials have considered withholding or delaying some arms sales.
Time and again, President Biden calls upon the Netanyahu government to take certain actions, and for the most part, time and again, Netanyahu ignores the president of the United States. And so I think that makes the United States look ineffective, said Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., in an interview.
The Biden administration has set a deadline of 24 March for Israel to provide written assurances that its use of US weapons complies with international law, after which the US government will conduct a review. Failure to comply could force the question of military support.
Senior administration officials said Friday they had seen no plans for a military operation in Rafah, which Israel says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved, nor any proposals to evacuate Palestinian civilians. For weeks, administration officials have privately expressed scepticism Israel had drawn up a thorough plan for a military offensive on Rafah.
Administration officials also counselled the Israeli government to avoid a major military operation in Rafah. Instead, targeted counterterrorism missions should be launched.
We have been clear about the need to prioritise civilian protection, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.
Earlier, the White House effectively endorsed remarks by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for new elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu, described by the Democrat as “a major obstacle to peace.”
Biden said on Friday that Schumer delivered a “good speech.” Nevertheless, other Democrats, including Senators John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. disagreed with Schumer’s calls for replacing Netanyahu:
Israel is our closest ally in the Middle East, and as a democracy, it is up to the Israeli people to determine their political future, said Rosen.
The level of distrust and tension between the American and Israeli governments now marks an extraordinary shift from the bear hug that Biden and Netanyahu shared five months ago, shortly after the 7 October Hamas attack in Israel. But the strategy of such a relationship has now shifted, as Israel has been ignoring Biden’s requests to do more to protect Palestinian civilians and increase the amount of humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza.
Biden and Netanyahu have now not spoken in a month. The White House says their last conversation was held on 15 February and focused mainly on Rafah. And Biden’s words that Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” reveal the fragility of the current still allies.
