Enlarge image
US Secretary of State Blinken is currently on his sixth trip to the Middle East in six months
Photo: Evelyn Hockstein / AP
Tens of thousands of people have already died in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, and Israel's planned ground offensive in the city of Rafah is expected to cause a further increase in the number of victims. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expects clear consequences if Israel's army actually invades the city in the south of the Gaza Strip, which is overcrowded with refugees.
The Rafah offensive risks isolating Israel in the world, Blinken said, according to the Reuters news agency, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will discuss the military action again with Israeli representatives next week. The ground offensive endangers the lives of civilians and Israel's security, Blinken said before his departure. US criticism of Israel's plans is becoming increasingly clear.
Netanyahu: “If necessary, we will do it alone”
The meeting with Blinken apparently did not cause Netanyahu to change his mind; he appeared unimpressed by the warnings. Netanyahu said his country would carry out the offensive in Rafah alone if necessary, according to his office at the meeting with Blinken. This is the only way to defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip and to destroy the last battalions of the terrorist organization. "I told him that I hope we will do this with US support, but if necessary we will also do it on our own."
In the city, it is estimated that 1.5 million of the 2.2 million residents of the Gaza Strip are currently seeking shelter in a confined space from the fighting in other parts of the coastal area.
Blinken calls veto by Russia and China in the UN Security Council “cynical”
Blinken was disappointed that a US draft resolution for a ceasefire failed in the United Nations Security Council. Russia and China vetoed it. The resolution was blocked “cynically,” said Blinken. It was the first time a US resolution was introduced on the conflict. Previously, the USA had always vetoed resolutions from other countries.
Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said in response to the rejection of the US proposal that the resolution had been highly politicized and effectively meant approval for Israel's planned military offensive in Rafah.
In total, there were eleven votes in favor of the US proposal in the Security Council, three against (Russia, China and Algeria) and one abstention (Guyana). A resolution in the UN Security Council needs the votes of at least 9 of the 15 member states. In addition, there may be no veto from the permanent members USA, Russia, China, France or Great Britain.
Security Council resolutions are binding under international law. If an affected state ignores them, the body can impose sanctions. However, it is unclear how big the impact of a decision would be on the Netanyahu government.
fek/Reuters/dpa