President Joe Biden, left, listens to a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting of Israel’s war cabinet in Tel Aviv. US President Joe Biden has again told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he should not take military action in Rafah without a credible and enforceable plan to protect Palestinian civilians, the White House said.
Brendan Smirovsky | AFP | Getty Images
President Biden holds phone call with Israeli Prime Minister on Sunday Benjamin Netanyahu Amid growing protests on U.S. college campuses and the possibility of imminent invasion Rafa’s.
The two discussed common ground, after which Biden “reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.” Iranian missile and drone attacks The situation in the country earlier this month, White House sources said. Leaders reviewed hostage and ceasefire discussions and discussed humanitarian aid in Gaza.
But the call also highlighted the two men’s differences over Israel’s strategy in the southern city of Gaza. Rafa. Netanyahu has shown no sign of abandoning a ground offensive there – a possible move that the United States has openly opposed.
“The leaders discussed Rafah and the president reiterated his clear position,” read out explain.
More than one million Palestinians currently seek refuge in the city.
Earlier Sunday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby explain In an interview with ABC News, the Israelis “assured us that they would not enter Rafah until we had a chance to really share our views and concerns with them.”
“So we’ll see how that plays out,” he added.
The call comes as pro-Palestinian protests sweep college campuses.While protesters’ demands vary from school to school, many schools student organizer Calling for an end to the war and urging their universities to divest from companies doing business in Israel.
Biden has faced criticize Progressives and Muslim Americans applauded his support for Israel, a long-time U.S. ally, after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack on Oct. 7. is called he condemned the uprising Anti-Semitism on College Campuses.
Sunday’s call was the first since then between Biden and Netanyahu April 4Biden spoke with Netanyahu after an Israeli airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers.
In an earlier call in April, Biden “stressed that attacks on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,” according to the White House read out.
In the days after April 1, aid workers death tollThe Trump administration’s public rhetoric against the Israeli government has become more strident, as the president has been more critical of his Israeli counterparts than before. Biden said In early April, he believed Netanyahu had made “mistakes” in handling the war, adding, “I don’t agree with his approach.”
