Benjamin Netanyahu confirms he will launch an offensive into Rafah

[mollyfolk]

In the face of international concern - most notably the previously strong allies of Germany and the US - Natanyahu has vowed to launch an offensive in Rafah where 1.5 million Palestinians are currently squeezed in desperate conditions.

Netanyahu has said "no international pressure will stop Israel" from achieving all of its war aims.

Is it a last attempt at putting pressure on Hamas before the latest talks or do the current Israeli government just not give a c*&p anymore about what their allies think?

I am fascinated that the Israeli administration have gone from having the strong support of the US, the EU and UK to being admonished by pretty much everyone. There can be no winners here for either ordinary Palestinians nor Israeli citizens.

I was reading about this yesterday and the strong words from the USA:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68591487

The US says it has not yet seen a detailed Israeli plan for Rafah, and President Joe Biden has warned Israel against expanding its invasion in the city, calling it a "red line".

It's very scary. Netanyahu is absolutely batshit and in my opinion has exploited Jewish history to enable himself to enact his own vile prejudice. I wish the Israelis would get rid of him.

I am not surprised by his announcement. The man and his government are hell bent on killing Palestinians ( Hamas or not) and, in the process, the hostages.
It is beyond evil.

He said that during an interview with MSNBC last weekend I think.

He was asked if he had any red lines wrt to how Israel is conducting the war, he was specifically asked if an invasion of Rafah would be a red line, he responded:

"It's a red line but I'm never going to leave Israel. The defence of Israel is still critical so there's no red line I'm going to cut off all weapons so they don't have the iron dome to protect them.....they don't have....but there's red lines that if he crosses...you cannot have another 30,000 Palestinians dead."

This is a direct quote, well as close as I can interpret what the fool says.

When is red line not a red line? When Joe Biden says so.

I think that's pretty clear. They aren't going to leave Israel undefended by removing support to security (Iron Dome, plus other support) but they will take action if Netanyahu invades Rafah. Which could mean stopping supply of offensive weapons or supporting regime change.

In 1982, during a closed session of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Senators were demanding to know why Begin had invaded Lebanon and accused him of destabilising the region. Biden was the only one who supported Begin but, to everyone's shock, he told Begin he would be prepared to go even further than him by killing women and children. This is reported in a book called The Internationalists by Alexander Ward.

During that same war Reagan called Begin to express his outrage at the destruction done to Beirut and insisted that the bombing raids stopped, Begin called him back 30 minutes later to inform Reagan that a complete ceasefire had been ordered.

Biden could easily do the same.

He is also on record as saying that if Israel didn't exist we would have to invent it.

He is the largest recipient of Israel lobby donations of any currently active US politician, one million dollars so far.

He could have continued to supply the iron dome and cut off all other weapons supplies long ago if preserving civilian life was even a remote consideration. It's not, he only pretending to give a shit.

Netanyahu Putin has said "no international pressure will stop Israel Russia" from achieving all of its war aims.

Sounds familiar

Sometimes I'm impressed Biden's allowed to find his own way to the bathroom, let alone comment on international politics.