White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby reiterates US opposition to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, albeit in terms that are not entirely categorical, Times of Israel reports.
Speaking to Channel 12 news, he says that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Defense Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday that the US “just can’t support a major ground offensive in Rafah that doesn’t include an achievable, verifiable plan to look after the safety and security of the 1.5 million Gazans that have sought refuge there.”
Kirby elaborates: “Look, we recognize that there’s a need to go after Hamas… Hamas still represents a viable threat and we know that there are Hamas fighters in Rafah.” But, he goes on, “we don’t believe that going in on the ground in Rafah is a good idea in a major way, that there are other ways to get after that threat.”
He says that is why the US was “so looking forward to being able to have an Israeli delegation here this week to talk about some other ways to do that.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday canceled that planned trip, after the US chose not to veto a UN Security Council Resolution demanding a Gaza ceasefire and the release of all hostages, but he is now reportedly ready to reschedule it. Kirby, in the interview, insists the US withholding of its veto did not represent a shift in policy.
