WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden held a cell phone phone on Sunday with Israel’s Primary Minister Benjamin Netanyahu versus the backdrop of escalating U.S. faculty campus protests and a possibly imminent invasion of Rafah.
The two discussed regions of commonality, with Biden “reaffirm[ing] his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security” right after Iran’s missile and drone attack on the state earlier this thirty day period, the White Dwelling readout stated. The leaders reviewed hostage and stop-hearth discussions and talked about humanitarian help in Gaza as effectively.
But the connect with also underscored daylight concerning the two on Israeli strategy in Gaza’s southern metropolis of Rafah. Netanyahu reveals no symptoms of backing away from a ground offensive there — a possible transfer that the U.S. publicly opposes.
“The leaders mentioned Rafah and the President reiterated his crystal clear situation,” the readout claimed.
Extra than a million Palestinians are at present sheltering in the metropolis.
Before on Sunday, Nationwide Security Council spokesperson John Kirby mentioned for the duration of an ABC Information interview that Israelis have “confident us they won’t go into Rafah right up until we have had a possibility to genuinely share our views and fears with them.”
“So we’ll see in which that goes,” he added.
The connect with comes as pro-Palestinian protests sweep throughout faculty campuses. Nevertheless protesters’ requires differ throughout educational institutions, a lot of of the pupil organizers are calling for an conclude to the war and urging their universities to divest from firms that do business enterprise in Israel.
Biden has confronted criticism from progressives and Muslim People for his aid for Israel, a longtime U.S. ally, following Hamas’ shock terrorist attack on Oct. 7. At the very same time, many others have called on him to denounce the rising antisemitism on school campuses.
Sunday’s dialogue was Biden and Netanyahu’s initially phone connect with since April 4, when Biden spoke with Netanyahu after an Israeli airstrike killed 7 Entire world Central Kitchen humanitarian personnel.
In the course of the before April call, Biden “emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian employees and the total humanitarian scenario are unacceptable,” in accordance to the White Dwelling readout.
In the times following the help workers’ April 1 deaths, the administration’s general public rhetoric toward the Israeli government sharpened as the president criticized his Israeli counterpart a lot more than he experienced formerly. Biden claimed in early April that he thinks Netanyahu is producing a “mistake” with his managing of the war, including, “I do not agree with his solution.”
