From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 18, 2024
Biden did not threaten Netanyahu with repercussions if he launches Rafah operation
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Joe Biden did not threaten Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with repercussions if Israel moves forward with a major ground invasion in Rafah, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says.
“The president didn’t make threats,” Sullivan says during a press briefing.
“What the president said today was, ‘I want you to understand, Mr. Prime Minister, exactly where I am on this. I am for the defeat of Hamas. I believe that they are an evil terrorist group with not just Israeli, but American blood on their hands. At the same time. I believe that to get to that (defeat), you need a strategy that works, and that strategy should not involve a major military operation that puts thousands and thousands of civilian, innocent lives at risk in Rafah. There is a better way. Send your team to Washington, and let’s talk about it. We’ll lay out for you what we believe is a better way,'” Sullivan recalls.
The national security adviser says the US has “every expectation” that Israel will not proceed with a Rafah offensive before the sides discuss the matter in Washington.
Asked why previous contacts have not been sufficient in explaining Washington’s stance to Israel, Sullivan says this will be the first time that the sides will have an opportunity to have “an all-encompassing, comprehensive, integrated, strategic discussion on defeating Hamas and ensuring that civilians are protected.”
“There are ways for Israel to prevail in this conflict… and not smash into Rafah,” Sullivan reiterates, adding that the US will present its case when the teams meet later this week or early next week.
The national security adviser denies reports that the call ended abruptly. “It ended in a totally normal way when they had each gotten through all of their points. It was very businesslike.”
He also somewhat angrily dismisses another question about whether Biden told Netanyahu that a Rafah operation is a “red line” for the US. He calls the question an “obsession” of the media that “is not stated as a declaration of our policy, and we’ve made that clear.”
