Blinken: US 'Cannot Support a Major Military Operation in Rafah'

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Facts

  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that the US 'cannot support a major military operation in Rafah' due to humanitarian concerns, arguing that, even if civilians were evacuated beforehand, a 'significant' amount would inevitably remain and be exposed to 'terrible consequences.'1
  • Blinken continued that the US was committed to ensuring that Hamas does not control the Gaza Strip but, regarding a Rafah operation, 'that’s something that we don’t support, and we believe that the objective can be achieved by other means.'2
  • This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told Western diplomats this week that Israel still plans on entering Rafah — Hamas' alleged last stronghold in Gaza — where over 1M displaced Palestinians have taken refuge.3
  • Earlier this week, an unconfirmed report by the Qatari news outlet The New Arab claimed that the US would give Israel approval to enter Rafah in exchange for Israel not carrying out a military operation in response to Iran's recent attack. This story was not corroborated by other publications, however.4
  • Nonetheless, US officials still blame Hamas for the lack of progress in cease-fire negotiations. CIA Director William Burns said on Thursday that the group rejected a 'far-reaching proposal' he presented to Qatari and Egyptian mediators.5
  • A senior Hamas official on Friday said that Israel was escalating the situation in the region and called 'for expanding the scale of the engagement against the (Israeli) occupation in response to the war of genocide in Gaza and the escalation in the region.'6

Sources: 1Voice of America, 2The Times of Israel, 3Guardian, 4Jerusalem Post, 5New York Times and 6Reuters.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NBC. Israel must be able to defend itself from terrorist attacks from Gaza or elsewhere, and the US is committed to preventing malicious actors from threatening Israel's legitimate concerns. However, the Biden administration is losing its patience with Netanyahu's intransigence. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is rapidly getting out of hand, and the situation must be remedied. An Israeli offensive in Rafah would only make the situation worse.
  • Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. In these critical times, Israel's military is diligently preparing for the possibility of an offensive into Rafah to dismantle Hamas' remaining battalions. Israel has fought a noble fight against Hamas' terror, and it seems imperative that Israel enter Rafah and finish this once and for all. However, given the complexities of the situation, Israel will calculate its next moves carefully.
  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Regardless of whether Israel is allowed to enter Rafah or not, the US is responsible for the atrocities Israel has inflicted upon the Palestinians of Gaza. The Biden admin., worried about domestic political pressures, wants to make it seem as if it never supported this war, when from the very beginning Israel has been dependent on the US in its campaign to destroy Gaza and starve its people.

Predictions