Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

Biden Takes Political Risk Invites Israeli Officials

POSTED ON March 20, 2024 •   Politics      BY Benedicta Bassey •   VIEWS 170

President Joe Biden hoped to avert what he perceived to be a humanitarian disaster—a massive ground assault of Rafah—by asking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to send a delegation of senior Israeli officials to Washington on Monday.

It's unclear if the summit, which is now anticipated to take place early next week, will be able to achieve that goal.

On Tuesday, there were hints that, in spite of the severe warnings that Biden had given to Netanyahu during a 45-minute phone conversation the day before, the Israeli leader was still planning to enter the southern Gaza Strip, even with American encouragement. 

That puts Biden in a difficult but familiar position now that he has made his stance on the invasion plain and seems certain that Netanyahu will reject it out of hand.

“Out of respect for the president, we agreed on a way in which they can present us with their ideas, especially on the humanitarian side,” Netanyahu said Tuesday during a speech to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset.

“However, I made it as clear as possible to the president that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah, and there is no way to do this without a ground incursion,” he went on.

The invitation to Israeli officials for talks in Washington comes with certain risks for Biden, depending how Israel decides to proceed. On one hand, he could appear ineffective in the heat of a reelection run if Netanyahu decides to move ahead with a major ground invasion despite the White House’s warnings. On the other, providing Israel with clear alternatives — even if they are rejected — could distance the president from an eventual decision to launch a major offensive.

Some US officials said  they were not concerned about the Biden administration assuming liability for a possible operation, since they remain skeptical the two sides will be able to arrive at an agreement at all.

Administration officials have discussed potential responses should an invasion move ahead, and some of Biden’s Democratic allies in Congress have made fresh calls for the White House to consider conditioning military aid to Israel if a Rafah operation proceeds as the president faces intense pressure over his support for Israel from key parts of his coalition.

The Biden-Netanyahu call “helped clear the air” between the two leaders, said a source familiar with the call. It was a “business-like conversation,” the source added, noting that it is always good to talk about working together and what the two sides agree and disagree on. In a sign of continued dialog between the two allies, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel on Friday, an Israeli official revealed.

The US has been calling on Israel to explain how it intends to protect the estimated 1.4 million Palestinians seeking refuge in southern Gaza before its planned operation into Rafah. So far, the Biden administration says, that plan has not been presented.

“The presumption is that if one exists, they would have showed it to us,” one senior administration official said.

 

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Appeal Court invalidates verdict against Rivers LG election
BY Benedicta Bassey November 22, 2024 0

ABUJA, Nigeria —The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja has nullified the judgement that prevent...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Trump picks Pam Bondi as Attorney General following Gaetz withdrawal
BY Benedicta Bassey November 22, 2024 0

WASHINGTON, United States  — US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pam Bondi, a v...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Federal Government partners IOM on migration policy review
BY Benedicta Bassey November 22, 2024 0

ABUJA, Nigeria —The federal government on Friday said no less than 6.1 million Nigerians are s...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
LASG takes voter education advocacy to community
BY Benedicta Bassey November 22, 2024 0

LAGOS, Nigeria —The Lagos State Office of Political, Legislative and Civil Engagement org...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
US reject ICC arrest warrant for Isreali PM
BY Benedicta Bassey November 22, 2024 0

Netherlands, United States —The United States has opposed the International Criminal Court&rsq...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Boko Haram: Senate urges military to free region under threat, attacks
BY Benedicta Bassey November 22, 2024 0

BORNO, Nigeria  —The Senate, has called on the Nigerian military to deploy personnel to r...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Anti-party scandal: Accord Party expels ex-presidential candidate, 7 others
BY Benedicta Bassey November 21, 2024 0

ABUJA, Nigeria —The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Accord Party on Thursday said it...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Sanwo-Olu presents 2025 budget to Assembly
BY Benedicta Bassey November 21, 2024 0

LAGOS, Nigeria —Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State Governor has concluded plans to present th...

OUR CHANNELS:

OTHER ARTICLES ::

25th November, 2024
Top doctors halt strike action to review FG's response
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has suspended their strike...


Tinubu eyes livestock sector reform, investment to curb farmer-herder clashes
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara November 25, 2024 0

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to resolving the farmer-h...


Katsina Govt. applauds  NAF  strike against bandits, vows to sustain regional stability
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara November 25, 2024 0

KATSINA – The Katsina State Government has commended the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for successf...


Breaking : Supreme court voids National Lottery Act
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara November 25, 2024 0

The Supreme Court, on Friday, nullified the National Lottery Act 2005 enacted by the National Assemb...


ECB's renews integration call as trade war looms
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara November 25, 2024 0

European Central Bank, President Christine Lagarde renewed her call for economic integration across...


China expands Visa-free entry to more countries to boost economy
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara November 25, 2024 0

On Friday, China announced that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries a...


FAO aims key outcomes at COP16 Saudi Arabia
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara November 25, 2024 0

The assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Dr. Abdul Hakim Elwae...


Illegal detention: Bizman slams N50m suit on NDLEA
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

NIGERIA — A businessman, Damilare Samuel, has slammed the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency...


Appeal Court invalidates verdict against Rivers LG election
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

ABUJA, Nigeria —The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja has nullified the judgement that prevent...


Man in Police net for defiling, impregnating 15-yr-old daughter
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

CALABAR, Nigeria —A 48-year-old man, Mallam Adamu Umaru, was paraded by the Zone 6 Police Comm...


Menu