The Attack on Rafah in Israel Could Happen During the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan: Israel’s Conservative Likud
The prospect of an assault on Rafah is creating tensions with Egypt, which fears a destabilizing influx of Palestinian refugees across its border. Egypt is an important strategic partner for Israel in the region and has played a key role in negotiations aimed at securing the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
According to a report in Israeli media, the Biden administration has raised concern over an assault timed to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. An attack during Ramadan — which is expected to start March 10, though the timing depends on the sighting of the moon over Mecca — could be viewed as particularly provocativeto Muslims in the region and beyond.
“The operation in Rafah will happen,” Avi Dichter, a minister from Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party, told Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, on Sunday. He stated that it would begin and end the same way in other places.
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Israeli leader tells Netanyahu to ‘not proceed’ in Rafah without plan to protect civilians: a senior administration official tells NPR
This is the first time Biden has publicly cautioned Israel against its planned operation in Rafah. Other administration officials have said Israel has an obligation to keep civilians safe, and, as Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the UN told NPR, that under current conditions, Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah “cannot proceed.”
There are 1.3 million people in Rafah who have no place to go, and a senior administration official told reporters in a call. They sought refuge there after they fled fighting in other parts of Gaza.
An official said that Israeli officials told the U.S. counterparts that they wouldn’t consider an operation. Without the ability to get civilians out of there.
A senior administration official said the majority of the 45 minute call between Biden and Netanyahu had been spent talking about a potential hostage deal that would see Hamas release the remaining hostages in exchange for a sustained pause in fighting.
Negotiators from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the United States are working on a proposal that would see a cessation of hostilities in exchange for the release of Israelis abducted by Hamas during the October attack.
Remarks on the Progress in the Framework for the Millenium Security Arrangement (Semi-Fifteen Years after the First Referendum)
The official said that while there is a framework proposal “pretty much … now in place … There are gaps that need to be closed. Some of them are significant. But the official said there had been “real progress” on the matter over the last few weeks.
The remarks come days after Netanyahu rejected a cease-fire plan delivered by Hamas to end the war in Gaza, calling it “delusional” because it would have left Hamas in power of the Gaza Strip at the end of the phased truce.