The Biden administration fears a major military offensive in Rafah will worsen what’s already a grave humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, at far left, speaks while meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, across table at far right, at the Pentagon, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Washington.
Echoing admonitions that top Biden administration officials have made for months, Austin said there was a “moral necessity and a strategic imperative” to assist and protect civilians in the Hamas-controlled strip, where local authorities say more than 30,000 people have been killed. That decision, which surprised U.S. officials, intensified already heightened tensions between the Biden administration and Netanyahu’s far-right government. The two sides have been at odds over Israel’s settlement policies and its rejection of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The conflict has generated political pressure for both Netanyahu, facing demands to secure the release of remaining hostages, and for Biden, who, as he seeks a second term, faces criticism from within the Democratic Party over the Palestinian death toll.
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