President Biden mentioned on Monday that Israel shouldn’t proceed with a serious floor offensive within the southern Gaza metropolis of Rafah with out a “credible plan” to defend a couple of million people who find themselves sheltering there.
Mr. Biden spoke after assembly on the White House with King Abdullah II of Jordan, a key determine within the push for a cease-fire within the Gaza Strip. It was the primary face-to-face dialog between the 2 leaders because the Israel-Hamas struggle began.
“Many people there have been displaced — displaced multiple times, fleeing the violence to the north, and now they’re packed into Rafah, exposed and vulnerable,” Mr. Biden mentioned throughout an look with King Abdullah. “They need to be protected.”
The go to got here as King Abdullah sought to shore up worldwide support for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza that might completely halt the combating.
Mr. Biden has rejected the thought of a normal cease-fire, saying Israel has a proper to defend itself. But he has pushed for a pause within the combating that might permit for the discharge of hostages held by Hamas and one thing “more enduring.”
Much of Jordan’s inhabitants is ethnically Palestinian, placing the nation — a detailed U.S. ally that has a peace treaty with Israel — in a difficult place because it navigates the fallout from the struggle.
King Abdullah mentioned an Israeli invasion of Rafah was “certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe.”
“The situation is already unbearable for over a million people who had been pushed into Rafah since the war started,” King Abdullah mentioned. “We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting cease-fire now. This war must end.”
Mr. Biden issued a forceful condemnation of the hovering loss of life toll in Gaza, the place well being officers say greater than 28,000 individuals have been killed because the begin of the struggle.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Mr. Biden mentioned of the deaths. “Every innocent life in Gaza is a tragedy.”
While Mr. Biden’s criticism of the struggle has grown extra blunt within the 4 months because the Oct. 7 assault, the United States has not signaled that it plans main coverage adjustments, reminiscent of placing circumstances on navy help to Israel.
On Monday, when requested if Israel would face any penalties for the way it goes about its subsequent navy marketing campaign, John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman, mentioned that he was not going to get into “hypotheticals.”
He mentioned that the United States was working to affect how Israel carried out its struggle.
“There have been moments and there continue to be moments where we have the opportunity and have taken the opportunity to shape their thinking and to help influence the way they have conducted some of these operations,” he mentioned. “And that remains today.”
Both Mr. Biden and King Abdullah mentioned the battle ought to finish with a two-state answer.
“I say this as a long, lifelong supporter of Israel,” Mr. Biden mentioned. “That’s the only path that guarantees Israel’s security for the long term.”
King Abdullah mentioned that “this is the only solution that will guarantee peace and security for the Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the entire region.”
Egypt and Qatar, performing as intermediaries between Israel and Hamas, have led talks aimed toward halting the combating and releasing hostages held in Gaza. The Biden administration has been actively concerned in these negotiations, working publicly and behind the scenes to strive to advance a cease-fire deal.
On Monday, Mr. Biden mentioned the United States was engaged on a hostage cope with Israel and Hamas that might convey at the very least a six-week pause that might “take the time to build something more enduring.”
The C.I.A. director, William J. Burns, was anticipated to journey to Cairo for talks on the hostages on Tuesday, in accordance to a U.S. official who spoke on the situation of anonymity in regards to the discussions.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel publicly dismissed a Hamas proposal final week, Israeli officers have signaled that their authorities continues to be open to negotiation. The mere proven fact that extra talks will probably be going down in Cairo this week is seen as a constructive signal.
