Still no Rafah plan from 'Israel' to US, State Department says

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Mar 2024 00:23
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The US communicated both privately and publicly to "Israel" that it should not proceed with the Rafah ground invasion without a credible humanitarian assistance plan.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller answers questions at the State Department on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Washington. (AP)

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday that the Israeli regime has still not provided the US with a detailed plan for its looming invasion of Rafah, as reported by CNN.

Miller stated that he wouldn't discuss the specific discussions between the US and the Israeli leadership, "but we have made clear both in the private conversations" and publicly "that it is our judgment that they cannot or should not go into Rafah without a humanitarian assistance plan that is credible."

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his intention to proceed with the ground invasion of Rafah.

"We'll go there. We're not going to leave. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is, that October 7 doesn't happen again. Never happens again," Netanyahu told Politico.

A day earlier, US President Joe Biden told the MSNBC in an interview that an operation in Rafah constitutes "a red line," but added that he would continue to support Israel nonetheless.

"He [Netanyahu] has the right to defend Israel, the right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken," Biden told the broadcaster.

He further expressed the belief that Netanyahu "is hurting Israel more than helping Israel by making the rest of the world" to go against what "Israel stands for", which is a "big mistake."

CNN reported on Sunday, citing two US officials, that the Biden administration does not expect Israeli forces to immediately escalate their military operations into Rafah.

At the edge of regional war

Amid a surge in resistance operations across the region and a decline in "Israel's" global reputation, the regime has been deliberately escalating provocations in an attempt to drag the US into a regional war.

Not only have Resistance groups across the Middle East been targeting Israeli-linked elements in response to the genocide, but Cairo has also warned that it would be compelled to terminate "peace" agreements with the regime if the city of Rafah in Gaza were to be invaded.

Meanwhile, discussions are reportedly taking place regarding the potential withdrawal of US troops in both Iraq and Syria.

In case Netanyahu proceeds with his plan to invade Rafah, the US may decide to scale back on its decision to withdraw troops. The matter remains open to debate.