Israeli tanks roll near the border with the Gaza Strip on Feb. 14, 2024, amid ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP)
A recent report in Politico, a Washington-based news outlet, reveals the possibility that US President Joe Biden's administration has no plans to reprimand Israel should it carry out an operation in Rafah with no regard for civilian lives.
Israel's most important ally, the United States, said over the weekend that it will not back any ground operation in Rafah, southern Gaza, without a "credible plan" for protecting civilians. It's estimated that around 1.4 million people are sheltering there, more than half of the population of the entire Gaza Strip.
Three US officials, who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, said that there are no plans underway to impose consequences in the case that Israel goes forward with its attack on Rafah without ensuring the protection of civilians sheltering there.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday that the administration's attempts toward engaging in tough talk with its key Middle East ally have had some effect.
“We have seen the government of Israel respond to it, not always in the way that we want, not always to the degree that we want or to the level that we want, but our interventions, we believe, have had an impact," Miller said.
When prompted to elaborate, Miller said that the US has "pursued the policy that we think gives us the maximum ability to be successful in influencing how Israel conducts its military campaign."
Then he was asked: "Were you happy with the results of that?"
"In many cases, no, absolutely we are not," Miller responded, adding that the US is glad to have seen more humanitarian aid in Gaza.
At least 300,000 people in northern Gaza are still unable to receive humanitarian aid as trucks carrying supplies have been denied entry at the Israeli checkpoint dividing the north from the rest of the enclave.
Biden himself is showing signs of increasing frustration with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, going so far as to call him an “asshole,” and Israeli military operations as “over the top,” according to a Monday report from American news outlet NBC that cited several people directly familiar with Biden’s comments.
According to NBC’s sources, Biden said Netanyahu is “giving him hell” and is impossible to deal with, while the US struggles to find a solution to the conflict without aggravating its most important relationship in the region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said that he told Netanyahu the number of Palestinian civilians dying under the Israeli offensive “remains too high.”
There have not been any major policy shifts reflecting Biden’s frustrations, but his administration has begun to weigh the alternatives. US officials told NBC two weeks ago that the government was considering delaying or slowing down weapon sales to Israel as leverage, hoping it would encourage Netanyahu to soften Israel’s military operations.