By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL-On Monday, after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu began informing Palestinians in eastern Rafah to evacuate to what he called an “expanded humanitarian area” – EU policy chief Josep Borrell slammed Netanyahu’s directive. The order, written in Arabic on flyers distributed from the air, warned residents to leave eastern Rafah. As Borrell said on X: “Israel’s evacuation orders to civilians in Rafah portend the worst: more war and famine. It is unacceptable. Israel must renounce to a ground offensive.” Meanwhile, on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the press from the Sedona Forum in Arizona, saying: “Absent such a plan, we can’t support a major military operation going into Rafah because the damage it would do is beyond what’s acceptable.” Also on Friday, a U.N. humanitarian aid agency said if such an invasion were to occur, that hundreds of thousands of people would be put “at imminent risk of death.” The agency said Israel’s evacuation plan isn’t finalized while both sides agreed to keep discussions open on the situation. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the press on Friday that Israeli officials haven’t discussed any “comprehensive” plan for a Rafah operation with the White House. She did reveal that in recent phone calls between President Biden and Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Rafah operation was discussed and in recent virtual talks with top Israeli and U.S national security officials. Jean-Pierre added: “We want to make sure that those conversations continue because it is important to protect those Palestinian lives – those innocent lives.”
As Borrell advised: “The EU, with the International Community, can and must act to prevent such a scenario.” As analysts and observes noted, Netanyahu’s push for a major incursion into Rafah at any cost, does not bode well for ceasefire-hostage negotiations. Initially, Hamas said they viewed a proposal from Israel that was put forth by the U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators in a “positive spirit” but sources revealed that both Israel and Hamas remain at odds. Currently, Hamas is still mulling over the latest proposal which Blinken has urged Hamas to take, calling it an “extraordinarily generous.” For his part, analysts and political pundits have said Netanyahu has no advantage if he ends the war because his far-right cabinet is pressuring him not to take the ceasefire-hostage deal or they’ll quit. That would leave Netanyahu vulnerable and Israelis who have been protesting en masse throughout Israel have said Netanyahu is only interested in his own political position not the hostages. Despite the families of hostages pressing Netanyahu and his government, they have largely been ignored in favor of Netanyahu’s far-right ministers who are known to favor an annihilation of the Palestinian people.
As one analyst who spoke to TRT World International last week said that for decades Netanyahu has never cooperated with the plan for a two-state solution nor is it advantageous for his political aspirations. Blinken who was in Israel last week said “the time to act is now” but has not fully addressed Israel’s move on Monday, ordering eastern Rafah be evacuated. At issue with this evacuation order is the fact that when Israel ordered evacuations to opposite regions in Gaza before, claiming they were safe, the Israeli army fired on innocent Palestinians in those so-called ‘safe’ areas. As for whether a ceasefire-hostage deal can be pulled off, might be telling in Netanyahu’s most recent remarks to the press. On Monday, in response to an Israeli official’s view that Netanyahu is responsible for the breakdown in the latest rounds of talks with Hamas in Cairo. Netanyahu’s office called it “a complete lie and a deliberate deception of the public.” As Netanyahu often does, he fully blamed Hamas:”Hamas is the one that sabotages any deal by not moving one millimeter from its extreme demand that no Israeli government could accept.” But as protests in Israel have so openly revealed, the Israelis have already made their view known in signs and words, saying that Netanyahu is the “obstacle to peace.”
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