US President Joe Biden once again implicitly attacked Israel and threatened an arms embargo. In an interview to the NBC Network, Biden criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu and claimed that Rafah could be a red line for him.
Regarding the expected operation in Rafah, Biden said: "He must pay attention to the lives of civilians who are being killed in Gaza." The President added that he also has red lines, apparently on the Rafah issue, but appeared to regain his senses and reiterated that he would not set red lines for Israel. "I will never stop military support for Israel," he said.
Biden said that he believes that a ceasefire before the start of Ramadan remains a possibility, and said that he looks forward to visiting Israel again and addressing the Knesset.
During last Thursday's State of the Union address, Biden called on Israel to avoid turning humanitarian aid to Gaza into a "bargaining chip" and said that protection of innocent civilians must be the first priority in an armed conflict. Immediately after that, he was recorded telling Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) that he had informed Netanyahu of an upcoming "disciplinary conversation" between the two.
"I told him, Bibi - and don't repeat it - but you and I are going to the come to a Jesus meeting." This religious term is a reference to a person who is on the wrong path and must be reprimanded in order to bring him back into the fold.
