US Won’t Punish Israel for Rafah Op That Doesn’t Protect Civilians

Asked Monday if the president ever threatened to strip Israel of military aid, National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY said “we’re going to continue to support Israel … And we’re going to continue to make sure they have the tools and the capabilities to do that.” Then today, Kirby wouldn’t respond to a question about what the U.S. would do if the Rafah operation went forward without concern for civilian safety: “I’m not going to get into a hypothetical game.”

State Department spokesperson MATTHEW MILLER had a much testier Monday exchange with reporters. A journalist asked what leverage the U.S. had used to influence Israel on Rafah. Miller replied that President JOE BIDEN and Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN’s occasional tough talk on Israel has had sway.

“We have seen the government of Israel respond to it, not always in the way that we want, not always to the degree that we want or to the level that we want, but our interventions, we believe, have had an impact, and we will continue to pursue them,” the spokesperson continued.

US won’t punish Israel for Rafah op that doesn’t protect civilians