House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on Sunday that Israel’s invasion of Rafah could lead to military operations in Gaza, even as President Biden has threatened to suspend weapons in the event of a full-scale invasion. He claimed that this was the final stage to complete the project.
“Of course you want the conditions on humanitarian aid to be in place. Of course you want to have tenants in place, but to say you can’t invade Rafah…we want the Israelis to We’re saying we’re directing their military strategy,” McCall said Sunday in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week.” “This is the final stop, the last step in achieving their military goals.”
Biden last week threatened to halt supplies of offensive weapons, including bombs and artillery shells, to Israel if the Israeli military launches an invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza. The White House has repeatedly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to send troops to Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have fled amid the violence.
“I think it would be tantamount to an arms embargo for us to step in and say, ‘No, we can’t go in and get the job done in Rafah…'” McCall said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will use Rafah to pursue the leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and carried out the October 7 surprise attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. I have long argued that it is necessary to move to .
McCaul suggested that Biden’s warning “may not be important” given Netanyahu’s position.
“Regarding Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu said — and I spoke to him — ‘If I have to, I’m going to go it alone,'” McCall said. “The important thing is that we are sending a signal and a message to the rest of the world that we cannot count on America, we cannot trust America. Our allies… and our enemies see this as well. Masu.”
Biden’s threat to suspend his use of weapons drew criticism from several Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who said Biden was having a “crowning moment” when he made the threat. He said he hoped that.
He suggested Mr Biden’s comments were in breach of a pledge contrary to the chairman’s view to guarantee Mr Johnson’s support for the $95 billion emergency foreign aid package.
“I hope, but I believe he’s going off script,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that’s what the staff told him to say. I hope it’s a crowning moment, but it would be a huge departure from what is said to be the policy there.” Body.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called the threat “disgusting” and accused Biden of being part of a “pro-Hamas” group in the Democratic Party.
In a statement to The Hill last week, a senior Biden administration official said, “President Biden shares Israel’s goal of dismantling Hamas and is committed to supporting Israel, which has been defending it since October 7th.” “I’ve done more than that.”
“The president was very clear last night.”[week], he has always been: The United States will continue to ensure that Israel has all the military means necessary to defend itself against all enemies, including Hamas, while providing material support for operations we oppose. I don’t want that. Especially because we believe there are other ways Israel can achieve its objectives,” the official added.
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