After President Joe Biden said Saturday that Israel invading the Gazan city of Rafah, where many refugees from northern Gaza have relocated, would be a "red line" regarding America's support, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied that Israel will indeed invade Rafah because his own red line is "that October 7th doesn't happen again, never happens again."
Mr. Prime Minister, so you took the decision: You're 100% sure that you go into Rafah?
— Paul Ronzheimer (@ronzheimer) March 10, 2024
Netanjahu: We ll go there. We're not going to leave. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is that October 7th doesn't happen again. Never happens again. And to do that, we… pic.twitter.com/CBOF21aKOb
Netanyahu's remarks also come amid reports that the Biden administration is attempting regime change in Israel, and after Biden was caught in a hot mic moment after Thursday's State of the Union address saying that he was going to have a "come to Jesus" moment with "Bibi."
In an interview with MSNBC Saturday, Biden said that Israel going into Rafah would be a "red line" regarding America's support but that he was "never gonna leave Israel."
The Prime Minister's comments about Rafah were made in an interview with BILD in which he was asked, "You're 100 percent sure that you go into Rafah?" Netanyahu replied:
We'll go there. We're not going to leave them. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7th doesn't happen again, never happens again. And to do that, we have to complete the destruction of the Hamas terrorist army. Basically, when I talk to leaders in the region, as I do often, including today -- Arab leaders. When I talk to others, they understand that and even agree with it, quietly, because it's not now comfortable to stand publicly and say, "You have to get rid of Hamas, if we're going to have a better future." But as we do so, and that's something that I do not only not disagree with the president, I agree with him completely. We have to do it while enabling the safe evacuation of Palestinians, civilians...
At that point the interviewer interrupted Netanyahu to ask him where the civilians in Rafah would go? Netanyahu said that once Israel "finish[es] the job" of eliminating Hamas in other areas of Gaza, the civilians could go back to the north where they'd originally lived. Then Israel would go into Rafah to eradicate Hamas there.
A few minutes later Netanyahu was specifically asked about Biden's "red line" comments, and replied:
My red line is very simple. We're not going to leave Hamas with the capability of pursuing, of perpetrating another Hamas massacre as they did on October 7th. And the only way we can do that is, we cannot leave -- we cannot leave the Hamas terrorist battalions intact. It means that, in fact, we lose the war.
Netanyahu elaborated a bit on his comment that Arab leaders in the region quietly support his action to eradicate Hamas when asked if those leaders support an Israeli invasion of Rafah, but didn't say whether those leaders support that specific action.
If you really want to compromise them, then I'll tell you what their answer is. They understand that you can't leave Hamas in place. They understand Hamas is part of the Iranian terror axis that threatens them as much as it threatens us, and they want to see that victory. That victory is within reach. We're not far from it.
When the interviewer brought up the Gaza Health Ministry's bogus 30,000 civilian deaths number, Netanyahu replied:
As I said for Hamas, that hides behind civilians and uses them as human shields, it's a strategy. For us, it's a tragedy.
According to a report published Saturday in New York Magazine, the Biden administration is working covertly to oust Netanyahu. But first, they're doing all they can publicly to undermine him.
In the past month, he has, through a series of relatively quiet but closely linked and deliberate moves, sought to marginalize Bibi, as Netanyahu is ubiquitously known, internationally and at home. The change spilled out publicly on Thursday night following the State of the Union address, when Biden announced he ordered the U.S. military to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza via a sea pier. After the speech, Biden was stopped by Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, who told him to “keep pushing” Israel’s leader. Smiling, Biden said, “I told him, ‘Bibi,’— don’t repeat this— ‘you & I are going to have a come to Jesus moment.” Hidden behind Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a presidential aide whispered, “Sir, you’re on a hot mic,” to which a buoyant Biden replied, “I’m on a hot mic here. Good. That’s good.”
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One Israeli expert frequently consulted by American officials says, “I have been asked by a serious administration figure what it is that will force the Netanyahu coalition to collapse. They were interested in the mechanics, what can we demand which will collapse his coalition.”
As to Rafah, Netanyahu said in the interview that while he'd rather have the United States' support, Israel can accomplish that mission without it. It's clear that even if Israel technically has our support whenever that occurs, that he absolutely does not have Biden's support. And that's a shame.
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