The US presidential administration said that the Israeli airstrike against the Hamas terrorist group in Rafah, which killed dozens of Palestinians, will not change US policyto support the Jewish State. This was announced by White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby, AP reports.
USA and Israel: the desire to avoid isolation on the world stage after the Rafah incident
Whether the situation in Rafah will affect future US policy, Kirby replied: “I cannot foresee any change in policy.”
According to him, Israel has not crossed President Joe Biden’s “red line” ban on the supply of offensive weapons, since Israel has not launched and, according to the United States, is not going to launch a full-scale ground invasion of the city in the southern Gaza Strip. “Everything we see indicates that they are not moving to a large-scale ground operation in the populated areas of central Rafah,” Kirby said.
A White House spokesman stressed that President Biden does not make decisions based on popularity or public opinion polls, either in the United States or abroad. He also noted that it is not in the interests of the United States and its Israeli partners to become even more isolated on the world stage.
He condemned the deaths as an “unbearable and terrible” tragedy, also noting that the United States was closely monitoring the results of the Israeli investigation into the strike. Israeli officials say the civilian deaths were caused by a secondary explosion following a successful attack on two Hamas militants. “We have also repeatedly emphasized the need for Israel to take all possible precautions to reduce the risk of innocent lives being lost,” Kirby said.
The White House views Israel’s strike in Rafah as a possible violation of the “red line”
Earlier it was reported that the White House administration is still analyzing whether to consider the Israeli strike, which led to the death of at least 45 Palestinians in a tent camp in Rafah, a violation of the “red line”.
The airstrike was the deadliest incident in Rafah since Israel began its offensive on the city in early May. The incident occurred shortly after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately cease hostilities in Rafah. At the same time, EU foreign ministers discussed possible sanctions against Israel for violating international humanitarian law.