U.S. officials insist that President Joe Biden's refusal to arm Israeli forces for a major operation in Rafah did not weaken Israel's leverage in hostage talks.
“So it is just not our assessment — based on actually being in the middle of these talks and seeing how it’s happening, and what Hamas is actually demanding and what their incentive structure actually is,”spokesman Matthew Miller said during a Thursday press briefing. “That’s just not how we see it.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s spokesman pushed back on that narrative, arguing that Biden’s restriction is predicated on U.S. assessments that Israel has already “achieved a great number of its military objectives” and cannot expand its campaign into Rafah without causing an unacceptable number of civilian casualties.
“And you look at their track record at previous points in the operation, it leads us to believe that there would be incredible civilian toll, and it’s something that we can’t support,” he said. Released hostage Ilana Gritzewsky, center, whose boyfriend, Matan Zangauker, held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, stands with Matan’s family at a march to call on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to make a deal to free their loved ones on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“We actually think that a Rafah operation would weaken its position both in these talks and writ large,” Miller said. “A major military operation in Rafa would further weaken Israel’s standing in the world, would further create distance from its partners in the region — who actually share Israel’s goal of seeing Hamas defeated and want Hamas replaced with a different governance structure in Gaza. And also, just look at Hamas’ track record: They have never cared about Palestinian civilian lives.
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