The White House revealed the results of the discussions held by American and Israeli officials regarding Rafah on Monday.
The White House said that the discussions held regarding Rafah were “constructive and lasted two hours.”
The following is the most important information contained in the joint statement regarding the discussions:
– American and Israeli officials agreed that they share the goal of defeating Hamas in Rafah.
– The American side expressed its fears about multiple paths of action in Rafah.
– The Israelis agreed to take these concerns into account.
The Israeli side agreed to hold follow-up discussions among experts regarding Rafah.
Follow-up on Gaza, including Rafah, will include a face-to-face meeting of a strategic consulting group next week.
An American official said that the American side, led by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, his senior deputy John Viner, and Middle East envoy Brett McGurk, put forward alternative proposals that they said would protect civilians in Rafah.
Reuters quoted an Israeli official in Washington as saying that Israeli participants in the meeting included Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi.
A separate source familiar with the talks also said that the Israelis briefed their American counterparts on plans to launch a ground offensive to destroy the last Hamas brigades, which they say could be carried out in a way that minimizes civilian casualties.
The source pointed out that it is not yet clear whether the two sides have narrowed their differences.
Behind the scenes of the meeting
• Prominent officials from the United States and Israel held a remote meeting on Monday to discuss the alternative proposals of the administration of US President Joe Biden to the Israeli military invasion of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which Washington opposes.
• Biden urged Israel not to launch a major attack in Rafah to avoid further civilian deaths among the Palestinian population in Gaza, where Palestinian health authorities say more than 32,000 people have been killed.
• White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that the United States expressed its fears about any major ground operation in Rafah, which is the last relatively safe haven for more than a million displaced Palestinian civilians.
• According to the spokeswoman: “If they want to move forward with a military operation, we must have this conversation. We have to understand how they will proceed.”
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a scheduled visit of a high-level Israeli delegation to Washington last week after the United States allowed a Gaza ceasefire resolution to be passed at the United Nations on March 25, marking a new setback in his relations with President Biden during the nearly 20-year-old war. six months.
• Officials said that Israel asked the White House two days later to schedule another high-level meeting to discuss military plans for the city of Rafah, in an apparent attempt to ease tensions between the two allies.
• The United States, concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, wants Israel to consider alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah.
• The Israeli campaign began after an attack that occurred on October 7, in which militants from the Hamas movement penetrated the Israeli border, killed 1,200 people, and took 253 hostage, according to Israeli statistics.
• The Israeli offensive destroyed areas of the small coastal enclave, including hitting hospitals and infrastructure, and led to severe food shortages for the displaced in large numbers.
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2024-04-02 00:39:19
