The United States, often viewed as a key player the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has fallen short of its initial promises to hold Israel accountable for its actions.
US President Joe Biden has publicly opposed Israel’s offensive in Rafah, and his administration suspended one shipment of weapons to Israel over its concerns.
However, despite saying in early May that he would withhold more weapons if the country went ahead with a large-scale operation in Rafah, Biden has largely backed away from using such leverage even as Israeli leaders rejected Washington’s warnings.
As Israeli leaders defied Washington’s warnings, the administration appeared to backpedal, opting for cautious statements rather than decisive action.
Responding to the recent Rafah camp attack that killed 45 people, US National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby was reported as saying, “Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians.”
He added, “But as we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians.”
“We are actively engaging the [Israeli army] and partners on the ground to assess what happened, and understand that [it] is conducting an investigation,” Kirby noted.
This muted response from the U.S undermines the sincerity and efficacy of Biden’s proclaimed “red line” regarding Israeli actions in Gaza.
It underscores the reluctance to confront Israel over its military actions.
The failure to enforce consequences for Israeli actions not only erodes U.S. credibility but also emboldens Israeli leaders to act with impunity.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu called the Rafah camp attack a “tragic mishap” and said that Israel is investigating the matter.
Citing the attack on the tent camp in Rafah, which killed 45 people, US Congressman Eric Swalwell noted, “The same tactics by the same leaders will only produce same or worse results.”
“Netanyahu’s reckless prosecution of Hamas has killed Israeli hostages, aid workers, and innocent Palestinians. And nothing changes,” Swalwell said in a post on X.
Mouin Rabbani, a non-resident fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies in Doha, Qatar, said, “When we look at the broader international situation, what we’ve learned is that US President Joe Biden’s “red line” [in Gaza] is actually a river of Palestinian blood.”
“And senior US officials are quite happy to swim in it,” he stated.
“As far as the Europeans are concerned, we’ve seen quite extensive condemnation of this attack.
“But eight months into this brutal, genocidal campaign, I think simply making statements becomes entirely meaningless when this is not paired with concrete actions to bring such acts – that are taking place on an almost daily basis – to a definitive end.”
Mouin Rabbani
He added, “I think one objective of this attack was to demonstrate that the US actually does not have a red line.”
Meanwhile, Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, an outspoken critic of Israel and its war on Gaza, said in a post on social media that “so-called powerful” democratic countries were unable to oppose Israel’s war on Gaza because “many owners of banks and capital funds belong to people who support the massacre.”
Petro said that the inaction of such states “endangers not only the existence of the Palestinian people but the very existence of democracy and humanity.”
“Power in geopolitics today is nothing more than accumulated money and war planes. Hopefully tomorrow, it will be accumulated life.”
Gustavo Petro
Netanyahu’s Claim Means Nothing
Separately, Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief coordinator, responded to Netanyahu’s claim that Israel’s deadly attack on displaced Palestinians in Rafah was the result of a “tragic mistake.”
“Whether the attack was a war crime or a ‘tragic mistake’, for the people of Gaza, there is no debate,” he stated.
He called the attack “the latest and possibly most cruel abomination,” Griffiths said in a statement.
He added, “To call it ‘a mistake’ is a message that means nothing for those killed, those grieving, and those trying to save lives.”
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin also revealed that the European Union has for the first time discussed placing sanctions on Israel over its war on Gaza.
Martin said that the imposition of EU sanctions was discussed as a possible measure to be taken if Israel does not comply with the ICJ’s ruling to halt its attack on Rafah
Martin suggested that Ireland would support sanctions.
“Certainly, if compliance isn’t forthcoming, then we have to consider all options,” Martin said, adding that it was the first time he had witnessed EU ministers hold “a significant discussion on sanctions.”
Moreover, Martin was reported as saying that a number of Foreign Ministers also raised the prospect of sanctions against Israeli officials who were aiding and abetting violent West Bank settlers.
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