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Biden may set conditions on aid to Israel if IDF operates in Rafah – report

The relationship between Biden and Netanyahu has been deteriorating since the beginning of the war, particularly over the issue of an IDF operation in Rafah.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

According to an anonymous White House official, US President Joe Biden may consider a policy of imposing conditions for aid to Israel if the IDF operates in Rafah, according to a report from Politico. 

Despite President Biden’s declared support for Israel in the immediate aftermath of October 7th, the relationship between the White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been deteriorating, and Biden has staunchly opposed the proposed operation in Rafah to destroy the remainder of Hamas’s forces.

Although President Biden hasn’t spoken openly about making aid to Israel dependent on conditions, a policy advocated by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the source told Politico, “It’s something he’s definitely thought about.”

Responding to a reporter who asked about conditioning aid to Israel last year, Biden said briefly it was a “worthwhile thought,” although White House officials later clarified that President Biden was not considering such a policy.

In an interview with MSNBC over the weekend, President Biden said he would continue sending military aid to Israel, particularly for the Iron Dome defense system, but added that the number of civilian casualties in Gaza are a “red line.”

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He added, “You cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead.”

Hamas Health Ministry has said that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed without independent verification of the numbers or making a distinction between terrorists and civilian casualties.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement that “we are not going to comment on speculation by anonymous sources or add to what the president said this weekend.”

However, in an apparent attempt to walk back President Biden’s language during the interview, White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters,“ I don’t think that it’s productive to assign a ‘red line’ sort of terminology to what is a very complex set of policies.’

“You’ve seen the president be very vocal and forthright about what we think about the situation on the ground and what needs to happen from here,” she added.

“He thinks that there are other approaches which we have taken and are taking that are more effective,” Dalton concluded.