VSIt is no longer a behind-the-scenes war, between exchanges of unkind remarks and warnings from each of the protagonists like: “Hold me back or I will make a misfortune.” » This time, the differences between Washington and Jerusalem are exposed. A public standoff which took its full measure with the warning launched by Joe Biden on CNN: “We will not support Israel and we will freeze our shipments of offensive weapons if Israel launches a major offensive on Rafah. »
As could be expected, the threat provoked a real outcry within the government coalition in Israel. This ranges from Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who, in a post on X, wrote “Israel will continue to fight Hamas until its destruction” to another post signed, this time, by Itamar Ben-Gvir , the minister of national security, at the head of the Kahanist “Jewish Power” party. He writes: “Biden loves Hamas.” The “like” replaced by a heart. Not to be outdone, but in another style, the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the “Religious Zionism” party, messianic and unwavering support of colonization, immediately reacted: “We must continue this war until victory despite, and to some extent, precisely because of the opposition of the Biden administration. We simply have no other choice. »
Biden compared to Chamberlain
In short, here is Joe Biden sent back to the ropes and described today by another minister, also from the Jewish supremacist party “Jewish Power”, as Chamberlain again. This is, of course, reminiscent of the Munich Agreement in 1938, when the British Prime Minister abandoned Czechoslovakia to Hitler. For the Minister of Heritage, Amichay Eliahu, “like him, Joe Biden will have both dishonor and war”.
READ ALSO Gaza: Biden to suspend delivery of bombs and shells if Israel attacks RafahAs for Benjamin Netanyahu, he reposted on “X” his speech during the remembrance ceremony at Yad Vashem which opens the day of commemoration of the Shoah. In Hebrew but also in English, in a message visibly addressed to the American president this Sunday, he said: “If we are forced to fight alone, we will do so and we will continue to strike our enemies until victory. » In fact, for months, the Israeli Prime Minister has continued to repeat that the offensive on Rafah will take place, whatever happens. And this Thursday evening, a journalist close to the Netanyahu family repeated it, citing an important political source: “we will carry out the operation in Rafah. Biden sacrifices Israel for electoral purposes. »
Who to supervise the Rafah border post?
American officials, very worried about a new Israeli operation in the south of the Gaza Strip, continue to demand from Israeli leaders a global plan for the offensive and especially the measures that the Israeli army intends to take to limit the civilian casualties as possible, with, among other things, details of the evacuation of refugees to a humanitarian zone. It should be remembered that currently one million two hundred thousand people are massed in Rafah.
At the time of writing, the operation in Rafah is limited. Israeli tanks and infantry carried out a 3.5 km incursion to the Palestinian crossing point of the border post with Egypt. 48 hours ago, the IDF asked 100,000 Gazans from a neighboring neighborhood through leaflets and smartphone messages to head towards the Moassi humanitarian camp set up on the coast west of Khan Younes. A call which seems to have been widely followed.
READ ALSO Ceasefire: tragic poker in GazaThe big question concerns the identity of the organization that will operate the border post on the Palestinian side. According to the daily Haaretz, the Israelis would have turned to a private American company to assume this responsibility. The Israeli government still refuses to deploy elements of Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority or Fatah there. This is the principled position of the Israeli Prime Minister. Such an initiative could indeed lead to political negotiations and lead to a peace process, as proposed by Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia. Which the Israeli right and its messianic allies totally reject.
For the moment, negotiations for a truce, which would allow the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinians detained in Israel, are at an impasse. The families of hostages are organizing new demonstrations with the slogan: “an agreement now, even at the cost of stopping the war”. At the same time, anti-government rallies are growing.
