Citing Egyptian officials in contact with Israeli military leaders, the pro-Hezbollah Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar said Israel was not ready to make further concessions to Hamas after the latest difficulties in ceasefire talks.
Israel is currently reportedly planning its invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah after Eid al-Fitr, the three-day Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan, which is scheduled to end on April 12.
Al-Akhbar claims that Israel expects the operation to last between four and eight weeks and that the Israeli military will evacuate all civilians from the city to designated areas inside Gaza in advance. Israel will monitor the evacuation to ensure that no Hamas fighters or hostages are hiding among the civilians, Egyptian officials said.
The Lebanese newspaper further reported that Egyptian officials fear the operation could lead to a wider escalation across the region, and claimed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi had refused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to maintain a direct line to stay in touch.
If Israel goes ahead with its ground offensive in Rafah, it risks further worsening relations with its American sponsor, which has repeatedly warned it of the consequences of such an operation.
It is significant that on Monday the United States abstained for the first time in the UN Security Council during the vote on the resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which could have been adopted.
The American reticence angered Benjamin Netanyahu, who immediately canceled a visit by an Israeli delegation to Washington that was supposed to address American concerns about the Rafah offensive.
A senior US official, however, indicated on Wednesday that the services of the Israeli prime minister ” [avaient] indicated that they would like to find a new date” to organize this meeting.
“Limit the damage”
The United States opposes a ground attack on Rafah, where much of Gaza’s population has taken refuge after fleeing bombardment in the north.
Already embarrassed by the more than 32,500 dead in Gaza, the United States insists on the risk of civilian casualties and increased isolation of Israel, pushing for “alternatives” to target the last bastions of the Palestinian Hamas.
“The type of mission that we could support is a much more focused, limited campaign that can achieve the same objectives but without causing massive harm to the civilian population,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
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Benjamin Netanyahu, however, warned that he would launch the operation in Rafah with or without political support from the United States, at the same time that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Tel Aviv.
For Stephen Wertheim, a researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the United States is “trying to limit the damage of such an operation” in Rafah, which has been heavily bombed for several days.
The United States has shown unwavering support for Israel since the start of the war that followed Hamas’ unprecedented October 7 attack on Israeli soil and continues to supply it with large quantities of weapons.
But faced with the scale of civilian casualties and the dramatic humanitarian situation, they have stepped up pressure on Israel, specifically calling on it to allow the delivery of more humanitarian aid.
The United States has also raised its voice with the recent imposition of sanctions against some settlers accused of violence in the occupied West Bank.
“The Biden administration is increasingly trying to distance itself from Israel, and especially from Netanyahu,” underlines Michael Singh of the Washington Institute, a think tank in the capital.
But President Joe Biden has made it clear that he will not use his main leverage: military aid to Israel.
The resolution “sends a signal, but has no tangible impact on Israel’s ability to continue the conflict,” Michael Singh underlines, while arms restrictions “would come at a much higher cost” for strategic and political plans.
Tightening criticism, but without “o-face”
In addition to waging war, the United States and Israel also differ fundamentally on post-conflict issues and on paving the way for the creation of a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu vehemently opposes.
The leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, an ardent supporter of Israel and close to Joe Biden, threw a wrench in the bar by personally criticizing the Israeli prime minister and calling for the holding of elections, which is a “good speech” according to the American president.
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American officials quickly assured him that he was not speaking for the government. But some wonder if he didn’t say out loud what many in the Biden administration are thinking.
Months before November’s presidential election, Joe Biden is facing increasing political pressure from Muslim and Arab Americans, as well as young voters and the left wing of his party.
According to a Gallup poll released Wednesday, only 36% of Americans approve of Israel’s actions, down from 50% in November.
James Ryan, executive director of the Middle East Research and Information Project, said he expected “criticism to intensify” but not “a major about-face” from the United States on Israel.
With the France Presse agency.
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