With the international community focusing its efforts and pressures on his side Benjamin Netanyahu for a rapid increase in humanitarian aid entering the besieged and disintegrated Gaza Strip after five months of Israeli operations, the Israeli prime minister continues to provoke and advance his plan for even more carnage.
Despite the relevant American warnings and the fact that American pressure has caused dangerous fissures in his government, Netanyahu appeared during the week determined that Israeli forces should enter Rafah immediately. As he characteristically stated after the episodic trip of his government partner Benny Gantz to the USA and Britain, which he not only did not approve but sabotaged: “There is international pressure and it is growing, but we must be united against these efforts to stop the war .
Israeli forces will operate against Hamas in the entire Gaza Strip, including Rafah. Whoever tells us not to act in Rafa is telling us to lose the war and that’s not going to happen.”
He showed exactly what he means by unity
Exactly how Netanyahu means unity is best demonstrated by the moves he made to sabotage Ganj’s visit to the US and Britain. According to reports, Netanyahu, who was already irritated that Gantz traveled to Washington last Sunday without official approval from him, last Wednesday instructed the Israeli Foreign Ministry not to respond to the requests of the British side regarding the granting of the required safeguards. for the member of Israel’s national unity government which would give him immunity from possible prosecution or arrest warrants against him on British soil. Finally his diplomatic immunity and other formal issues of the visit were resolved internally with the British consular authorities in Israel.
The above became known after the leaks from Washington about Ganj’s visit gave a clear picture about the American annoyance towards Netanyahu and the Biden administration’s preference for Ganj as their direct interlocutor. American discomfort became even clearer following the US president’s references in his annual State of the Nation address. Joe Biden announced US support for the plan to bring humanitarian aid by sea through Cyprus to Gaza (with the US military building a temporary jetty for the ships) and stressed: “Humanitarian aid cannot be treated as something secondary nor as a bargaining chip. We are working tirelessly to secure an immediate ceasefire of at least six weeks.”
The Israelis will control the cargo
As for the plan to send humanitarian aid through the sea corridor, it was clear that it is starting immediately, but several details, such as who will distribute the aid after it reaches Gaza, were not known at the time of writing. However, it is known that the Israelis will check the cargoes before they leave Cyprus.
UN agencies have warned that the situation inside the Strip is truly desperate and will require a more concerted effort beyond the runway and humanitarian aid drops to avoid mass casualties from starvation. At the same time, they exposed another aspect of Israeli policy, since based on the evidence they presented, the settlement in the West Bank has reached uncontrollable proportions.
Against this backdrop, despite various reports of a breakdown in talks, a prisoner and hostage exchange and a ceasefire, they appear to have continued ahead of the start of Ramadan which officially begins tonight.
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