Washington DC – In early May, seven months after the start of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, US President Joe Biden drew a rare red line for the United States’ main ally.
The US president told CNN that Washington would not provide bombs or artillery shells to the Israeli army to invade Rafah in southern Gaza.
But images of charred bodies that emerged Sunday from an Israeli attack in Rafah raised questions about the credibility of Biden’s “red line.” An estimated 45 people were killed in the attack, which hit a group of tents housing displaced Palestinians.
“It is deeply disappointing to see President Biden continue to allow Israel to operate with impunity,” said Ahmad Abuznaid, director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR).
“Issuing a red line that you knew you weren’t going to respect not only means he will continue to be Genocide Joe, but it also just shows that he is politically weak.”
In recent weeks, Washington has justified its failure to hold Israel accountable by arguing that the Rafah offensive was a “limited” operation, not the widespread assault that Biden had warned of.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller reiterated that position on Tuesday, despite Sunday’s bloodshed and Israeli tanks moving deeper into Rafah.
“We do not want to see major military operations taking place there, as we saw in Khan Younis and Gaza City. At this point, we have not seen a military operation on a scale comparable to previous operations,” Miller said.
He added that the United States could not “verify” that Israeli military vehicles were in central Rafah, which was confirmed by Palestinian witnesses and Israeli media.
A “meaningless” red line
Palestinian rights advocates say the Biden administration is redefining what it sees as an invasion of Rafah so it can deny an offensive is underway.
Yasmine Taeb, legislative and policy director at the advocacy group MPower Change Action, called Biden’s red line on Rafah “absolutely meaningless and simply a continuation of his callous and indefensible Gaza policy.”
“Israel violates international humanitarian law, as well as U.S. laws and policies, but nearly eight months of carnage in Gaza have apparently still not been enough for Biden to finally take a principled and consistent stance in enforcing U.S. laws and immediately suspending arms. in Israel,” Taeb told Tel Aviv Tribune.
Israel followed Sunday’s bombing with another attack near Rafah on Tuesday that claimed the lives of at least 21 displaced Palestinians.
Mohamad Habehh, development director at American Muslims for Palestine, also called Biden’s “red line” meaningless.
“The Biden administration has failed to hold Israel accountable since October. We are now in the eighth month. And we are witnessing this new massacre every day,” Habehh told Tel Aviv Tribune.
Earlier this month, the United States withheld a single delivery of heavy bombs to Israel, citing disagreements over Rafah. The move raised hopes among human rights advocates that Washington might finally reconsider its unconditional support for Israel.
That optimism quickly dissipated after several U.S. officials emphasized their “ironclad” support for Israel and the Biden administration approved the transfer of $1 billion in arms to its ally.
Israel receives at least $3.8 billion in U.S. military aid annually, and last month Biden approved $14 billion in additional aid to the country.
The Center for International Policy (CIP), a US-based think tank, has renewed calls not to supply weapons to Israel following Sunday’s deadly attack.
“The massacre of civilians seeking refuge, whether by mistake or otherwise, is exactly what President Biden said was unacceptable about an Israeli offensive in Rafah,” said Dylan Williams, IPC vice president for government affairs, in a press release.
“Biden should not wait for a pro forma Israeli investigation – he should keep his word and stop the guns now. »
US calls massacre ‘heartbreaking’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack a “tragic mistake” and promised an investigation.
At Tuesday’s State Department press conference, Miller also called the massacre “heartbreaking,” but he attributed it to a “fire” rather than an Israeli bombing. He said Washington would closely monitor the Israeli investigation.
But Habehh said citing Israeli investigations is a tactic used by the United States to deflect responsibility, allowing it to indefinitely delay assessing rights violations.
Essentially, Habehh explained, this gives the United States time to wait for stories of Israeli atrocities to “die down.”
“It is very difficult to allow the person who committed the crime to investigate whether they committed it or not,” Habehh told Tel Aviv Tribune.
As horrors in Gaza intensify, advocates say it is becoming clear the Biden administration has no plans to change course, despite its statements against the Rafah invasion and its calls for protection civilians.
“Maybe Biden’s concerns about the Palestinians disappeared with the port they were building along the Gaza coast,” Abuznaid said, referring to a maritime platform built by Washington to deliver aid to the territory, which has been damaged by high tide in recent times. days.