Biden reiterates to Netanyahu his opposition to the ground offensive in Rafah

Biden already told Israel’s prime minister in April that an invasion of Rafah would be a “mistake,” and Washington has made clear it does not support an offensive without a credible plan to protect civilians sheltering there.

“The president reiterated his clear position on Rafah,” the White House said in a statement about the phone conversation between the two leaders on Monday.

During the call, Mr Netanyahu also “agreed to ensure that the Kerem Shalom crossing remains open for humanitarian aid to those in need”, the White House added, as Israel closed the key border crossing with Gaza following rocket attacks on Sunday from by Hamas.

The phone call comes as the US president hosts King Abdullah II of Jordan, a key ally, at the White House on Monday.

Rafah, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, has been turned into a gigantic refugee camp that, according to the UN, is home to 1.2 million Palestinians, or half of the territory’s population, most of whom are displaced persons.

Israel launched an operation on Monday to evacuate tens of thousands of Palestinian families from the eastern city of Rafah.

Despite international condemnation, the Israeli prime minister has promised to launch this offensive, which he believes is necessary to destroy the last battalions of the Islamist movement in the Palestinian territory.

“We continue to believe that an agreement on the release of the hostages is the best way to preserve the lives of the hostages and avoid an invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people have sought refuge,” said a spokesman for the National Security Council this morning.

New talks on Saturday and Sunday in Cairo were met with intransigence from both camps.

Hamas continues to demand a definitive ceasefire, while Israel vows to destroy the Islamist movement in power in Gaza.

Ceasefire talks are expected to resume Monday in Qatar, the main mediator, where CIA Director William Burns is expected.

The question remains what the United States, the main supplier of weapons to Israel, will do if Mr. Netanyahu continued this offensive in Rafah.

The US president warned that if necessary, he would be asked to “modify” his policy towards Israel, but did not specify how.

He issued this warning following an April 1 Israeli attack on a convoy of the American NGO World Central Kitchen in Gaza, in which seven aid workers were killed.

Joe Biden, in the midst of campaigning for his re-election to the White House, has been criticized for his unconditional support for Israel.

Nearly 90 Democratic US lawmakers called on him last Friday to consider ending arms sales to Israel if the Israeli government does not change the way it is waging its war against Hamas.

Biden’s lunch with the king of Jordan, a key US ally in the Middle East, is likely to focus on ceasefire talks and the situation in Rafah.

The meeting is held in private, behind closed doors.

Jordan, which maintains diplomatic relations with Israel and has a large Palestinian population, is particularly sensitive to tensions in the Middle East.

The head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, recently visited the kingdom, as the first Jordanian humanitarian aid convoy headed to the Gaza Strip, through the passage recently opened by Israel.

In mid-April, Amman shot down Iranian drones fired at Israel. While working with the United States, the kingdom wants to avoid being affected by a possible conflict.