Member LoginMember Login - User registration - Setup as front page - Add to favorites - Sitemap Blinken reiterates U.S. opposition to Israeli invasion of Rafah !

Blinken reiterates U.S. opposition to Israeli invasion of Rafah

Time:2024-04-20 17:45:12 source:Earthly Exploits news portal
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a visit to Israel, reiterated Friday that the United States opposes a ground operation by the Israeli military in Rafah. "We share Israel's goal of defeating Hamas, which is responsible for the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. And we share the goal of ensuring Israel's long-term security. As we've said, though, a major military ground operation in Rafah is not the way to do it," Blinken said in remarks to the press in Tel Aviv, according to a transcript published by the State Department. "It risks killing more civilians, it risks wreaking greater havoc with the provision of humanitarian assistance, it risks further isolating Israel around the world and jeopardizing its long-term security and standing," the secretary added. During what was Blinken's sixth visit to Israel since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians, the secretary met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of Israel's War Cabinet to discuss a range of issues surrounding the situation in Gaza. In a sign of ever growing rift between Netanyahu's government and the Joe Biden administration, the Israeli prime minister said in a statement that the Israeli military was so resolute about advancing into Rafah that it could do it even without U.S. support. Netanyahu said he told Blinken that "we have no way to defeat Hamas without entering Rafah and eliminating the remnant of the battalions there." "I told him that I hope we would do this with U.S. support but if necessary - we will do it alone," the prime minister said. Rafah is located on the border separating Gaza and Egypt. It has become one of the major points of entry for humanitarian assistance to reach civilians devastated by Israel's military operation in Gaza. Moreover, some one million civilians now are forced to reside in Rafah, after being displaced from northern Gaza during the initial phase of Israel's military operation. Israeli officials will head to Washington for talks with their U.S. counterparts next week. Blinken said the talks are aimed at finding "a different way of achieving" the shared objectives of Israel and the United States, which is "defeating Hamas and ensuring Israel's long-term security." "It really requires an integrated humanitarian, military, and political plan. And as I said, we'll be talking about that next week, going through the details of what we see as the best way forward," Blinken said. 

(Editor:Fu Bo)

Related information
  • How major US stock indexes fared Friday, 4/19/2024
  • Grab a key (literally) and unlock the secrets of Denbigh, a forgotten corner of North Wales
  • The legal battle over the abortion pill has reached the Supreme Court. Here's what to know.
  • Disney fanatic SLAMS park's insane price hikes
  • Priest resigns from Michigan church after protests over his criticism of a gay author
  • Gas prices are on the rise again. Here's where experts say they are going next.
  • Nature's the star at The Datai resort in Malaysia. But... beware the monkeys raiding the minibar!
  • Trump posts $175 million bond in New York fraud case
Recommended content
  • Taylor Swift 'calls out Kadarius Toney' on The Tortured Poets Department song about Travis Kelce
  • Pictured: The most Instagrammable Michelin
  • Don't be a tourist bored! Fascinating map reveals ONE THOUSAND amazing things to do, see
  • Fascinating video goes inside old Boeing 737 plane that has been transformed into a luxury cliff
  • Jonathan Tetelman recalls his journey from a nightclub DJ to an international opera star
  • Bad economy, nosy relatives: Young Chinese put off by Lunar New Year