The US says Israel lacks a 'credible plan' to protect Rafah civilians
May 13, 2024
Washington [USA], May 13: In an interview on NBC News' Meet the Press program on May 12, Mr. Blinken warned that Israel's plan to attack Rafah could cause an uprising when it cannot defeat all of the Hamas forces in this city.
The US Secretary of State said that Hamas militants were returning to areas north of Gaza, which Israel said had completely driven them out. According to Mr. Blinken, attacking Rafah could pose a risk of serious harm to civilians, while not ending Hamas's presence here.\
The plan to attack Rafah has caused an increasingly rift in relations between Israel and its long-standing ally the United States. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized President Joe Biden 's long-standing concerns about Tel Aviv's campaign against Rafah. Mr. Sullivan discussed with Israeli partners options to ensure the complete defeat of Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on May 12 that the US and European countries did not put enough pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Ankara has stopped all trade activities with Israel, called for an immediate ceasefire and criticized the West's stance of "unconditional support for Israel", according to Reuters.
The Guardian reported on May 10 that in a report submitted to the US Congress, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of this country said there was reason to suspect that Israel had used US weapons inconsistent with international law, but admitted there was not enough evidence. to recommend that parliament stop providing arms aid to Tel Aviv. Previously, Washington stopped sending bombs to Israel.
"Hamas used civilian infrastructure and tunnels, making it difficult to identify, especially in a war situation," Mr. Blinken told NBC News on May 12.
President Joe Biden on May 8 for the first time publicly announced that the US would stop supplying weapons to Israel if its forces carried out an all-out attack on Rafah, a city with more than 1 million refugees in southern Gaza.
Mr. Biden admitted in an interview with CNN that American bombs supplied to Israel killed civilians during the seven-month military campaign in Gaza, which Israel conducted in response to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
