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Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu
Photo: Evelyn Hockstein / REUTERS
Israel is planning a military offensive in Rafah, the Egyptian-Palestinian border town in the Gaza Strip. Now US President Joe Biden is calling for a convincing concept for the protection of the civilian population there. In a phone call with the Israeli Prime Minister on Sunday, he reiterated that "a credible and implementable plan" is needed "to ensure the safety of the more than a million people seeking refuge there," said the White House in Washington with. The US President also called for concrete steps towards more humanitarian aid, it said.
Netanyahu ordered the Israeli army on Friday to prepare an offensive on Rafah. According to eyewitnesses, Israel has already attacked targets in the city from the air on several occasions. Israeli ground troops have not yet been deployed there. Before the Gaza war, the city had around 300,000 inhabitants, but there are now said to be at least 1.3 million internally displaced people there. Most of them fled there from other parts of the coastal strip, some on orders from the Israeli military.
In an interview with the US broadcaster Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu said that there was "plenty of space for people to go" north of Rafah. Israel is sending them in this direction, including with the help of flyers and mobile communications. "Those people who say we can't advance to Rafah under any circumstances are basically saying: Don't win, lose," Netanyahu argued.
The US government had already spoken out clearly against military action in Rafah before its announcement. On Thursday, Biden toughened his tone towards Israel and described the actions against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza war as disproportionate. When asked about this on Fox News, Netanyahu said: “How would the USA have reacted in our place? I would say the reaction would have been at least as strong as Israel's."
According to the White House, the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu on Sunday again focused on the shared goal of defeating Hamas and ensuring the long-term security of Israel and the Israeli people. Biden also insisted on “using the progress made in the negotiations (with Hamas) to ensure the release of all hostages as quickly as possible.” Netanyahu, in turn, emphasized in an interview with the US broadcaster ABC News that the number of remaining hostages justified Israel's massive military action in the Gaza Strip.
The USA has long been urging Israel to increase protection of the civilian population and provide more aid to the population in Gaza. However, the US government's recent statements indicate increasing discontent with the resonance of its appeals with the Israeli leadership.
dop/dpa