Washington is considering a response to Netanyahu if he ignores the warning about invading Rafah

The White House is considering options on how the US might respond if Israel defies President Joe Biden’s repeated warnings against launching a military attack on the city of Rafah, south of Gaza, without a reliable plan to protect Palestinian civilians, according to what CNBC quoted a former US official and three officials as saying. Current Americans.
The discussions are taking place amid growing concern in the Biden administration and frustration among Democrats in Congress that Israel may simply ignore Biden’s pleas. At a time when the Hebrew state is about to launch an incursion into Rafah, adjacent to the Egyptian border.
While the US President repeatedly called on the Netanyahu government to take certain measures, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignores Biden’s appeals. “So I think it makes the United States look ineffective,” says Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
“The President (Biden) has issued strong words and increasingly strong warnings, but I believe that in order to effectively implement those warnings, the (US) administration must use other tools at its disposal,” said Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
It prompted the White House to take a tougher stance regarding the terms of US military sales to Israel.
The United States has not made any military support for Israel conditional, although Biden administration officials have considered withholding or delaying some arms sales.
The Biden administration set March 24 as a deadline for Israel to provide written assurances, followed by a US government review, that its use of US weapons is consistent with international law. Failure to comply could force the issue of military support and possibly push the old alliance into new territory.
Administration officials also advised the Israeli government to avoid a major military operation in Rafah, and instead conduct smaller, targeted counter-terrorism missions, according to an administration official, according to CNBC.
A National Security Council spokesperson said: “We have been clear about the need to prioritize the protection of civilians.”
The level of mistrust and tension between the US and Israeli governments represents an unusual shift from the animosity that Biden and Netanyahu shared five months ago, shortly after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
The White House effectively adopted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s statements on Thursday calling for new elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu, which Schumer viewed as a “major obstacle to peace.”
Biden said on Friday that Schumer gave a “good speech.”
In response to a question about the president’s reaction, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” program that Biden “knows that the sentiments that Schumer expressed in that emotional speech yesterday are shared by many, many.” From the Americans.”
Schumer’s statements on the Senate floor highlighted the divisions within the Democratic Party, which will be difficult for the president to deal with during his election campaign for a second term.
His stance is likely to encourage progressives who want to see him backed by a real shift in US policy toward Israel, specifically the use of influence by withholding aid and arms transfers unless Netanyahu’s government changes course, according to CNBC.
Senior US administration officials indicated on Friday that they had not seen any plans for the military operation in Rafah, which Israel said had been approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor had they seen any proposal to evacuate Palestinian civilians.

For weeks, administration officials have expressed doubts that Israel has developed a comprehensive plan for a military attack in Rafah, saying the threat of military invasion was to maintain its influence with Hamas during negotiations for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza. Gaza.