US, Israeli officials likely to meet next week in US to discuss Rafah
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The White House spokesperson says US and Israeli officials will likely meet early next week in Washington to discuss the Israeli invasion of Rafah.
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People walk past the rubble of al-Faruq Mosque in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment on March 17, 2024. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected an appeal from Joe Biden to put off a planned ground attack on Rafah, telling Israeli members of the Knesset that he was "determined" to eliminate the Palestinian Resistance.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that Washington considered invading Rafah would be a "mistake" and that "Israel" could achieve its military objectives through other methods.
On Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated that "Israel" will invade Rafah, where 1.2 million Palestinians currently reside, in a few weeks.
"To this end, we have approved the operational plans for action in Rafah, including advancing the steps to evacuate the civilian population from the combat zones ... We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen," Netanyahu affirmed.
White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre voiced profound worry about reports of impending hunger in Gaza, requesting on behalf of Biden that Netanyahu send a top team of military, intelligence, and humanitarian officials to Washington for thorough negotiations in the coming days.
However, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately inform the security and military establishment of his approval to send an Israeli delegation to Washington, as reported by Israeli media.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that a clash with the Americans during the discussion regarding the military operation in Rafah is expected, with a senior US official saying that “an alternative to this operation to defeat the Hamas movement must be found."
The Israeli Kan channel said, “The Americans will not discuss with the Israeli delegation how to carry out the military operation in Rafah, but rather how not to carry out such an operation.”
The same channel expected a clash with the Americans, noting that a senior American official told the same channel that with regard to a military operation in Rafah, “an alternative to this operation must be found in order to defeat the Hamas movement.”
In a related context, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is allegedly planning to travel to the Middle East to "discuss the right architecture for a lasting peace" with top officials from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Unusually, Blinken made no mention of a stop in "Israel", and the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that it had gotten no notice to prepare for one.
Ibrahim Hasouna, a displaced Palestinian in Rafah, told Reuters, "They mock us and send four or five airdrops (of aid) just to save their faces."
"There’s U.S. support, European support, and support of the whole world for Israel, they support them with weapons and planes."
US says 'Israel' should allow UN Palestinian agency chief in Gaza
The United States urged Tuesday that "Israel" should let the director of the UN organization for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, enter Gaza after he was denied admission.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini reiterated, once again, that the state of Gazan grounds is grievous on Monday.
In a joint press conference with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, Lazzarini affirmed that UNRWA continues to coordinate and work alongside the Palestinian side, the World Food Programme, and other UN organizations and agencies, as "Israel" drags its genocide for the 165th day.
Lazzarini also revealed that the Israeli occupation government prevented his visit to Rafah in southern Gaza, "Israel's" invasion target, where the largest number of refugees and displaced civilians reside.
On the day new data is out on famine in #GAZA, the Israeli Authorities deny my entry to Gaza.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 18, 2024
-Famine is imminent in the northern Gaza Strip, expected to arrive between now and May.
- Two million people= the entire population of Gaza is facing crisis levels of food insecurity…
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that the US position is that Lazzarini should be able to visit the field "including in Gaza, and we're going to continue to work with the government of Israel to rapidly approve all requested visas for UN and NGO workers."
Patel urged that all governments should "do what is necessary to enable the humanitarian response and this of course includes allowing the free movement of international staff."
Moreover, US officials claim that the US is contemplating possible response options if "Israel" invades Rafah against the US administration's warnings and without a plan to protect civilians, NBC News reported.
