AA / Jerusalem / Zein Khalil
The White House announced on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had agreed to an Israeli delegation meeting with US officials in Washington to discuss a ground military offensive that Tel Aviv plans to launch from the city of Rafah. south of the Gaza Strip, reported the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
The delegation was scheduled to travel to Washington this week, but Netanyahu canceled the visit in protest at the United States’ veto of a recent UN Security Council resolution. . Calling for a ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan.
The Israeli newspaper said Netanyahu had sent a message to the White House saying he wanted to set a new date for the Israeli delegation to Washington, reversing the decision to cancel the visit.
In turn, the American news agency Associated Press reports that negotiations between the American and Israeli parties have been renewed to pave the way for the visit of the Israeli delegation.
The agency quoted White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre as saying that “Netanyahu’s office has agreed to reschedule Rafah’s meeting.”
“We are now working with the Israelis to determine a new date that is suitable for both sides, after approval from Netanyahu’s office to reschedule this meeting dedicated to Rafa, which is good,” Karine Jean-Pierre added. with reference to the final date.
Earlier on Wednesday, US broadcaster NBC reported that Netanyahu had agreed to send a delegation believed to include Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
But the Israeli prime minister’s office quickly released a statement saying Netanyahu “has not yet accepted the delegation’s departure to Washington.”
That same day, Netanyahu met with Republican Senator Rick Scott at his office in Jerusalem and said his initial decision to cancel the delegation was due to his desire to show Hamas that “Israel will not be pressured,” Yedioth Ahronoth reports.
Netanyahu attacked the policies of the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden, saying that “the position of the United States in the Security Council (abstaining from voting on the recent resolution on the Gaza Strip) was not a good move, and what is worse, it encouraged Hamas to take a hard line.” and rely on international pressure, confident that it will prevent … Israel from destroying it and releasing the abductees,” he said, referring to the Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
For weeks, regional and international warnings have been issued to warn of the consequences of Israel’s ground offensive on Rafah, which shelters some 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, who have been forced to take refuge in the area by the Israeli army, claiming the southern enclave as a safe haven. Later, the army launched several attacks, resulting in several deaths and injuries.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, mostly children and women, in addition to unprecedented humanitarian disaster and destruction. The massive infrastructure that led to Tel Aviv. They will be brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of “genocide”.
* Translated from Arabic by Munir Benuri.
Source: AA
David Jack is a highly respected journalist in the field of politics. He currently works at 247 news updates. With a deep understanding of political issues and a talent for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, David’s writing provides readers with insightful and thought-provoking analysis on the latest political developments.
