The red line is “not yet” crossed, but Washington is on the lookout. For the first time since the start of the conflict, Joe Biden warned on Wednesday that he “would not deliver” certain weapons to Israel, in particular “artillery shells”, in the event of a major offensive against Rafah, while the United States has already decided to suspend a delivery of bombs.
The American president, however, estimated that the military operation which has already begun in this town in southern Gaza has not yet reached the stage of a major assault.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is threatening to launch a ground offensive against the town, where according to Israel the last Hamas battalions are hiding but where there are also 1.4 million Palestinians, the majority displaced by the war. A project strongly criticized by Washington for several weeks. But this is the first time that the American president has displayed such a firm tone, thus publicly setting conditions for American military support.
“If they enter Rafah, I will not deliver to them the weapons that have always been used (…) against cities,” Joe Biden said in an interview with CNN. “We will not deliver the weapons and artillery shells that have been used” so far, said the 81-year-old Democrat.
“They will not have our support”
Faced with “concerns” about Rafah, Washington had already decided last week to suspend the delivery of a shipment of bombs to Israel, consisting of “1,800 bombs of 2,000 pounds (907 kg) and 1,700 500-pound (226 kg) bombs,” according to a senior U.S. official on condition of anonymity. Asked about this choice, Joe Biden replied that “civilians were killed in Gaza because of these” American bombs. “It’s bad,” he added.
The American president, however, judged that a major assault had not yet taken place in Rafah. Earlier this week, the Israeli army, of which the United States is the primary military supporter, deployed tanks there and took control of a border crossing with Egypt. But this operation does not affect “population centers”, assured Joe Biden, therefore suggesting that this is not a major offensive requiring a reaction on his part. For now, Israel has “not yet” crossed a red line in Rafah, he insisted.
But the United States stands ready to react if the situation changes. “I said it clearly to Bibi (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) and in the war cabinet, they will not have our support if they really enter the population centers,” the American president further affirmed. “We are not distancing ourselves from Israel’s security, we are distancing ourselves from Israel’s ability to wage war in these areas,” he said.
However, he indicated that Washington would continue to “ensure that Israel is protected by the Iron Dome”, its air defense shield, and maintains “its ability to respond to attacks like those that recently took place in the Middle East.” East.”
“Difficult to hear”
The Israeli reaction did not take long: the Israeli ambassador to the UN judged on Thursday this threat to suspend arms deliveries “difficult to hear and very disappointing, from a president to whom we have been grateful since the start of the war. “It is quite clear that any pressure on Israel, any restriction imposed on it, even from close allies concerned about our interests, is interpreted by our enemies” and “gives them hope,” Gilad Erdan told Israeli public radio.
VIDEO. Offensive in Rafah: Israel begins bombing the Palestinian city
Joe Biden took on the role of primary supporter of Israel following the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, but his relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu has experienced several episodes of high tension, and could reach a breaking point around the Rafah question. The military operations, as well as the closure of the main gateway for humanitarian aid convoys to the besieged Palestinian territory, raise fears of a worsening of the humanitarian crisis there.
In the midst of campaigning for the presidential election in November, the American president is also faced with the rise of strong opposition within the United States over the military support provided to Israel, particularly on the campuses of several American universities, marked since several weeks by a pro-Palestinian mobilization movement.
