Biden administration says it wouldn’t support Israeli operation into refugee enclave

WASHINGTON (CN) — The Biden administration said it sees no indication Israel appears poised to send its military into a refugee enclave of more than a million people in Rafah, but said the White House wouldn't support it.

However, when pressed, officials offered no concrete consequences Israel would face if it conducted such an operation.

The White House has been on the defensive this week over concerns its efforts to push Israel to adjust its strategies in Gaza amid tens of thousands of civilian deaths have fallen on deaf ears. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but those meetings don’t seem to be changing the course of the conflict.

Rafah is the sole border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. It is where more than 1.3 million refugees have fled as Israel continues its war against Hamas since the latter’s attack on Oct. 7. Egypt has stymied the flow of refugees through the border to avoid a crisis in the Sinai Peninsula, leaving many camped out at the crossing.

But shortly after Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, the Israeli leader announced he had rejected Hamas’ cease-fire proposal and was ordering troops into the area.

“Peace and security requires total victory over Hamas,” he said. “We cannot accept anything else.”

Despite Netanyahu’s public declaration of his plans, the State Department referred to the possibility as “reports” while the White House said it didn’t believe an operation was imminent. 

“We have yet to see any evidence of serious planning for such an operation,” said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel. “And to conduct such an operation right now with no planning and little thought in an area where there is sheltering of a million people would be a disaster.”

Patel and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said any operation against Rafah without taking into consideration the impact on civilians would be “a disaster.” 

“Our view is that any major military operations in Rafah at this time under these circumstances with more than a million, probably more like a million and a half, Palestinians who are seeking refuge … without due consideration for their safety would be a disaster and we would not support it,” Kirby said.

While officials indicated Washington wouldn’t support attacks on refugees in Rafah, it doesn’t seem like the White House would put any pressure on Israel to stop it. When pressed for repercussions Israel would face for such an operation, officials offered little in terms of concrete possibilities. The Biden administration has pumped billions of dollars to Israel since Oct. 7, but its only adverse actions have been to sanction four Israelis in the West Bank not connected to the government.

“We’re going to continue making sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas,” Kirby said. “I think it’s not true that we haven't tried to help influence the way the Israelis have been prosecuting operations. That’s just not true. We have and they’ve been really receptive to many of our lessons learned and the perspectives we’ve shared.”

Asked where refugees would flee if fighting reached Rafah, Patel said “These are legitimate questions that we believe the Israelis should answer.”

Blinken has visited Israel seven times since the attack and said he believes Hamas’ latest cease-fire proposal “creates space for agreement to be reached.”

“On all of my previous visits here and pretty much every day in between, we have pressed Israel in concrete ways to strengthen civilian protection, to get more assistance to those who need it," he said.

Despite a growing humanitarian crisis, Blinken said Israel was taking “important steps” to improve the flow of humanitarian aid and protect civilians.

“Israelis were dehumanized in the most horrific way on Oct. 7. The hostages have been dehumanized every day since. But that cannot be a license to dehumanize others," he said. "We cannot, we must not lose sight of our common humanity.”

Follow @TheNolanStout

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit