US Blinken says Hamas can be 'dealt with' without Rafah invasion
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Blinken expressed that he agreed with Arab leaders about the "need for long-term peace and security."
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, Egypt on March 21, 2024 (AP)
After meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed that the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, could be "Dealt with" without resorting to military action in Rafah.
"Hamas can be effectively dealt with without a major ground operation in Rafah," Blinken stated in a press briefing.
The statement was issued on the same day that Egypt's Foreign Ministry announced that the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, as well as the UAE Secretary of State for International Cooperation and the Executive Chief of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), had called for the opening of all border crossings between "Israel" and the Gaza Strip.
Blinken has set on his sixth tour to the Middle East, starting with a visit to Saudi Arabia, to hold talks with Prince Mohammed Bin Salman regarding the Israeli war on Gaza, then leading to Egypt on Thursday, and concluding it with a visit to the Israeli occupation.
Speaking about what he described as long-term peace, "Israel's" number one arms supplier's State Secretary Blinken expressed that he agreed with Arab leaders about the "need for long-term peace and security."
Earlier, on March 15, the Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas announced that it had presented to mediators in Qatar and Egypt a comprehensive vision regarding its stance on halting the aggression on the Gaza Strip and the issue of prisoner exchange with the Israeli occupation.
WH calls for talks with 'Israel' to prevent clash over Rafah: Axios
US President Joe Biden's administration is considering various options instead of an Israeli ground invasion of the southern Gazan city of Rafah, which it plans to present to a senior Israeli delegation visiting Washington next week, Axios reported citing two US officials.
According to the officials, the White House has arranged this meeting in an attempt to prevent a near clash between the United States and "Israel" over Rafah, where over one million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge amid the ongoing Israeli aggression.
The Biden administration strongly opposes any Israeli military action in Rafah and has expressed concerns that "Israel" lacks a viable plan to protect Palestinian civilians there. But Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that the invasion of Rafah is a must to "eliminate Hamas."
On Monday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned that such an invasion could block the entry of urgently needed humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza, isolate "Israel" on the international stage, and jeopardize Egypt's normalization agreement with "Israel".
US and Israeli officials told Axios that, during their Monday phone conversation, Biden surprised Netanyahu by suggesting that the premier send a delegation to Washington to discuss the Rafah operation, revealing that this was the first time the Israelis were informed about the meeting.
The American news website cited US officials as saying that one proposal was to postpone the invasion and instead focus on addressing the humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza, where famine is imminent, as per a UN-backed report released on Monday.
This proposal also entailed the construction of shelters for Palestinian civilians evacuated from Rafah.
It is noteworthy that, in addition to providing the Israeli occupation entity with military support, the United States has vetoed three draft resolutions, two of which would have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, citing concerns about jeopardizing ongoing efforts to broker a pause in fighting and release Israeli captives.
Washington has also abstained twice on resolutions aimed at aiding Gaza and calling for pauses in the fighting.
