[The rift with the United States deepened, Netanyahu ignored Biden's pressure and resolutely sent troops to attack Rafah]
You can click to follow and leave your valuable comments and opinions below this article. Every support from you will motivate me to work harder to create better articles, I hope you can give me this opportunity, and at the same time, it is also a recognition of my articles.
The Gaza Strip, which is 41 kilometres long and 6 to 12 kilometres wide, is home to the world's densest population, with more than 2 million people, more than 1.7 million of whom are Palestine refugees.
In October last year, a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, and the Gaza area was immediately plunged into war. The Israeli military has launched an offensive from north to south in the Gaza Strip, and more than 1.5 million Palestinian refugees have entered Rafah to escape the fighting.
Rafah is located at the southernmost tip of the Gaza Strip, which borders Egypt and is also the gateway for international humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip after the outbreak of the new Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Rafah, once a city of 300,000 people, is now home to more than 1.5 million refugees, making it the most populous city in the Gaza Strip, which the United Nations has dubbed a "pressure cooker of despair."
With the exception of Rafah, the Gaza Strip is already in the grip of a serious humanitarian crisis, with more than half of the Palestinian population already without food supplies and mired in hunger.
Against this background, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly issued a statement saying that Israel was preparing for an attack on Rafah and said that it had approved the Israeli army's operational plan in Rafah on the 15th.
On the 18th local time, Netanyahu had a phone call with US President Biden, in which Biden made it clear that he opposed Israel's attack on Rafah. In addition, the two sides also agreed on sending Israeli officials to Washington to discuss the settlement of the Rafah issue.
However, the day after the phone call with Biden, Netanyahu publicly stated:
"If Israel wants to completely destroy Hamas, there is no choice but to send troops into the crowded city of Rafah. ”
It can be seen that Netanyahu and Biden are at odds on the Rafah issue. But at the same time, he also noted that "Israel and the United States agree on the main goals of the war." ”
Since the outbreak of the conflict, Israel has carried out air strikes on refugee camps, hospitals, schools and other important facilities in the Gaza Strip, resulting in a large number of civilian deaths.
Netanyahu's single-mindedness has further isolated Israel internationally, and now Netanyahu's announcement of a ground offensive in Rafah has added concern to the international community.
The Palestinian side called on the international community to intervene swiftly to protect the people of the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian side also made it clear that any military action against Rafah would be unacceptable. A number of countries and international organizations have also repeatedly warned that an Israeli attack on Rafah would lead to heavy casualties and an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.
The factors that have caused the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are numerous and complex, and in addition to internal factors such as religion, culture, and ethnic contradictions, the intervention of major powers is also one of the most influential factors.
On the morning of February 20, local time, the United Nations Security Council voted on a new draft resolution on the situation in Gaza proposed by Algeria. Thirteen countries, including China, voted in favor, Britain abstained, and the United States, a permanent member, voted the only vote against. This is the fourth time since the new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that the United States has exercised its veto on the ceasefire issue in Gaza.
While Netanyahu has ignored Biden's pressure to attack Rafah, he still has to enlist the support of the United States because Israel has become increasingly isolated among its Western allies.
Therefore, despite Netanyahu's tough remarks again, many experts believe that the final result may not be known until the United States and Israel meet to discuss whether a large-scale ground operation will be launched in Rafah.
Due to the rules of the platform, you will only be recognized as a fan if you have more interaction with me. If you like my articles, you can click "Follow" and receive the article push as soon as you become a fan.
