Why is Netanyahu hesitant to make an indecision when the Israeli army is about to attack Rafah? Anti-war protests broke out in the United States, countries welcomed Trump's comeback, and why did Macron warn that Europe was facing extinction?
The Israeli army is preparing to attack Rafah, and Hamas proposes conditions for a ceasefire
Hello everyone, welcome to Chiming World. The Israeli army was finally going to attack Rafah. According to a report by Israel's largest newspaper "Neue Izvestia" on the 25th, Israel's wartime cabinet held a meeting on the same day to discuss the attack on Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved plans for a ground operation in Rafah aimed at increasing pressure on Hamas to release some 100 hostages. In addition, Israel may also take this opportunity to fulfill its commitment to the complete expulsion of Hamas.
Israel is expected to soon begin withdrawing civilians from Rafah in preparation for a ground operation, the report said. The Israeli military said at a wartime cabinet meeting that it had completed preparations for launching a ground operation against Rafah. The Israeli 162nd Brigade, which has been deployed in northern and central Gaza, is advancing towards the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where it will be replaced by two reserve units. IDF Chief of Staff Al-Halevi said that the battle plan in Rafah had been submitted to the government and that the military would act at the request of orders. So far, however, Netanyahu has not given the order to attack.
The report pointed out that when the Israeli government makes a decision, the Israeli army will begin to "transfer" the population of Rafah. As of 25 April, some 150,000 Gazans had left Rafah for Khan Younis and the Mahwasi area. The Israeli military estimates that the evacuation of the remaining 1 million or so troops from Rafah will take several weeks, and Israeli forces will not enter Rafah until the evacuation is complete.
Although the ground operation has not yet begun, Israeli air strikes are intensifying. Reuters reported on the 25th that Rafah was hit by at least five airstrikes that morning, and the explosion destroyed at least three buildings, resulting in the death of at least six people, including a local journalist. According to Israeli media reports, internet service has been disrupted in the central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip.
Israel was ready to attack Rafah, but it was slow to act. Some Arab media believe that Israel and Hamas may be testing each other. On April 26, the Egyptian delegation arrived in Israel to try to push for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. In response, Hamas's deputy head of Gaza, Haya, said that if a permanent ceasefire cannot be reached, then Hamas will not accept a temporary truce. A senior Hamas political official told US media that the group is willing to reach a truce with Israel for five years or more. Israeli media reported that Hamas's latest offer was to release 33 hostages in exchange for a ceasefire, which was a far cry from the Israeli government's demand for the release of all hostages. But Hamas stood firm and said that even if Israeli forces invaded Rafah, it would not destroy Hamas, let alone release the hostages. In addition, Hamas stressed that the release of the hostages was conditional on Israel signing a ceasefire agreement.
Anti-war protests broke out in the United States, and the two parties fell into a new round of disagreements
In addition to the hostage issue, another reason for Israel's hesitation is the massive anti-war protests that have erupted in the United States. According to US media reports, many colleges and universities, including Columbia University, the University of Southern California and the University of Texas, have recently protested and demonstrated in support of Palestine. On April 24, protesting students clashed with blast police, resulting in dozens of arrests. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that these protests are terrible "anti-Semitism" and should be stopped immediately. He claimed that anti-Semitic thugs had infiltrated top universities. They call for the elimination of Israel, they attack Jewish students, they attack Jewish teachers, which is unreasonable. He also criticized some university presidents for not responding promptly and effectively to the protests.
In the wake of the protests, there was a serious bipartisan divide in the United States. House Speaker Johnson came to the Colombian election, where protests first erupted, and said that if the demonstrations were not quickly contained, then it would be the right time for the National Guard to come out. He also said he would ask U.S. President Joe Biden to "take action" because the demonstrations had "targeted Jewish students in the United States." Texas Governor Abbott said that "these demonstrators should go to jail" and that "students who participate in hate-filled anti-Semitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled."
Trump has also been critical of the protests, saying the activities are fraught with "great hatred." By contrast, the racial violence unleashed by white supremacists in 2017 seems like "pediatrics." He also took the opportunity to criticize Biden, saying that "the hatred is so great, but the guy in the White House can't talk about it because he doesn't understand the problem, he doesn't understand what's going on in our country." ”
Unlike the Republican right, Biden opposes the suppression of protests. White House spokesman Jean-Pierre said Biden supports free speech. "The president believes that free speech, debate and non-discrimination on university campuses are important," she told reporters.
The Kazakh-Israeli conflict has not only sparked divisions between the two parties, but has also brought about a tremendous change in American public opinion. The latest Bloomberg poll shows that support for aiding Israel among voters in swing states in the United States has plummeted since Israel launched its military campaign to root out Hamas. According to Bloomberg, 51 percent of registered voters in seven swing states that will have a crucial impact on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election say they support or support some aid to Israel. That's down 10 percentage points from the 61% survey in November last year. In addition, the decline in approval ratings has coincided with growing domestic anger in the United States over Israel's crackdown on Hamas.
Trump is back, and many countries are ready to respond
The U.S. election in November is just around the corner, and any disturbances in American society at this time may have an impact on the outcome of the election. While Israel is ready to attack Rafah, Netanyahu fears that Mr. Trump's campaign could become more difficult for the pro-Israel side if the ground action provokes more protests among the American people. If the current attempt to win Rafah quickly leads to Trump's loss of the election, then Israel's situation will inevitably be even worse in the future. But then again, if Trump shows super popularity in the election campaign, he locks in the presidency early. This, in turn, would strengthen Israel's confidence and lead to an earlier outbreak of the Battle of Rafah.
Reuters reported on the 24th that Trump is currently superior in the polls, and is also ahead of incumbent President Biden in many swing states, and the possibility of re-entering the White House is not low. In fact, many of America's allies have already begun to prepare for a possible second term in Trump.
Reuters pointed out that the latest investigation shows that Germany, Japan, Mexico and Australia are all preparing for Trump's return to the White House to protect or strengthen their interests after the US election, which may be related to the fact that they have been influenced by Trump's "America First" policy. Reuters found in the interview that Germany has begun to actively build good relations with Republicans in swing states to ensure that Trump will not impose tariffs on EU goods after his election, and Japan also intends to send former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "queen" interpreter, Nao Takao, to strengthen contacts with Trump. Australia's ambassador to the United States, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, is working to ensure that the United States' commitment to help Australia build a nuclear submarine fleet is not affected by the election results. Separately, Mexican officials have been revealed to have met with people close to Trump to try to gauge Trump's views on immigration and drug smuggling.
In addition to these indirect contacts, there are more daring countries, risking offending Biden, by contacting Trump directly. For example, Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman recently spoke directly with Trump on the phone, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Polish President Duda also recently met with Trump.
Fearing that Trump will come to power, Macron has warned that Europe is facing extinction
French President Emmanuel Macron is very worried about Trump's comeback. On April 25, Macron gave a keynote speech at the Sorbonne University in France, where he set out his vision for Europe. He warned that military, economic, trade and other pressures could weaken and divide the European Union, and that "Europe is at risk of demise and we have no capacity to deal with these risks". He called for a stronger, integrated defense system in Europe and stressed that Europe must not become a vassal of the United States.
Foreign media believe that the reason why Macron declared that Europe may die out and become a vassal of the United States is mainly because he is worried that after Trump returns to the White House, Washington may once again implement the "America First" policy, and US-European relations will face a decline at that time. And after losing Russian energy supplies, Europe not only lacks bargaining chips with the United States, but also relies on American military protection, which will lead to a decline in Europe's independence. To avoid this, Macron is considering replacing the current European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with former Italian Prime Minister and former ECB President Mario Draghi.