President Joe Biden has warned Israel that he will stop supplying weapons if they attempt to invade Rafah, Hamas’ last stronghold in Gaza. Biden emphasized the need to avoid targeting population centers and stressed the importance of maintaining relations with Egypt.
While the US will continue to provide defensive systems like Iron Dome, Biden has drawn a red line against any actions that pose a direct threat to civilians. “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden said. “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem.”
Biden reaffirmed that the US will be supplying Israel with defensive weaponry, such as resources for the Iron Dome system. “We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” Biden said, adding, “But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to – we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”
Israel has yet to cross Biden’s red line, as their actions in Rafah have not yet posed a direct threat to population centers. However, Biden has made it clear that he will not support any such actions. “They’re not going to get our support, if in fact they go on these population centers,” Biden said.
Biden’s policies have drawn scorn from progressives and the left for his willingness to give succour to Israel, resulting in voters in critical battleground states like Michigan threatening to abstain in November or vote for someone else. Biden has defended his position, saying that he supports a two-state solution and that he believes Israel has a right to defend itself. However, he has also stressed the need to avoid civilian casualties and to maintain relations with Egypt.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has taken on a significance role as regards the upcoming presidential vote, with anyone who supports either side instantly being written off as a fanatic. Biden’s policies have drawn scorn from progressives and the left for his willingness to give succour to Israel, resulting in voters in critical battleground states like Michigan threatening to abstain in November or vote for someone else.
