Tension is building between America and Israel. The Biden administration has depicted Israel’s “conduct” in the Gaza Strip as “over the top” and recently blocked a green light for Israel to move forward with their offensive in Rafah via an abstention vote in this week’s U.N. Security Council ceasefire resolution.
The New American reported the White House believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now “deliberately ‘provoking’ the U.S.”
Israeli leadership accuses President Joe Biden of reneging on his pledged support. On October 16, The Times of Israel reported that Biden agreed that “Hamas must be eliminated.” In February, the president affirmed his support.
Biden reaffirms US support for Israel as Netanyahu pledges to proceed with assault on Rafah https://t.co/nQgSowZRe8 via @countercurrents
— david johnson (@millriv) February 14, 2024
In early March, CNN quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying “President Joe Biden agreed that Israel has to destroy Hamas and there is no middle way.” But with November’s election in view, Biden has felt compelled to shore up waning support from the left wing of his party, which has protested his support of Israel and urged him to press for a ceasefire.
Last week, Biden said Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel.” By Monday, U.S. representatives offended Israel by refusing to use its veto power to block the U.N. ceasefire resolution.
Axios reported that Israel’s reaction to America’s recent actions perplexed the White House. Netanyahu said the White House was signaling a “clear retreat from the consistent position of the U.S.”
France 24 News reported the Prime Minister said the ceasefire vote “gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow for a ceasefire without the release of Israel’s abductees.”
U.S. officials responded by denying Netanyahu’s assertions, saying, “This does not represent a policy shift.”
Netanyahu reiterated: “This withdrawal [vote] hurts both the war effort and the effort to release the hostages.”
The Israeli Prime Minister followed up his statements by postponing plans to send a diplomatic delegation to Washington. The delegation was reportedly about to be sent in response to Biden’s special request.
The delegation was likely to hear U.S. arguments against moving forward with a ground invasion in Rafah.
The once solid agreement between the two nations appears to be fracturing as Israel seems intent on eliminating Hamas’ presence in Rafah.
The city is thought to be Hamas’ last stronghold and the site where 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge.
In late-breaking news, Reuters reports that Israel has asked White House officials to reschedule the “scrapped meeting on Rafah military plans.”
