US President Joe Biden’s announcement to stop supplying weapons to Israel should it launch an all-out assault on the city of Rafah delivers a heightened state of brinksmanship to a region already teetering on the edge.

Amid concern for the wellbeing of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering in Rafah, Biden told CNN the US was still committed to Israel’s defence and would supply defensive arms, but that if Israel goes into Rafah, “we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used”.

He said Israel’s actions around Rafah had “not yet” crossed his red lines, but repeated that Israel needs to do far more to protect the lives of civilians in Gaza.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also added to the pressure on Israel as he affirmed Australia’s commitment to a two-state solution ahead of a United Nations General Assembly vote to include Palestine as a fully-fledged member.

Albanese, speaking in Melbourne, said: “What we have done again is to communicate to Israel our opposition for a ground invasion in Rafah because we’re concerned about the civilian population there.”

The government’s longstanding position is to recognise a Palestinian state, but no timeline has been attached. Moving ahead with recognition would benefit the path to peace, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has previously said.

The UN General Assembly could vote Friday on a draft resolution to recognise the Palestinians as qualified to become a full UN member. It would need to be approved by the 15-member Security Council and then the General Assembly.

Meanwhile, the stance by Biden brings the desperate plight of civilians in Rafah into sharp focus. One security observer in Israel said the president’s move was not an embargo on American munitions but a more diplomatic message that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to consider American interests more than he has recently.

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Biden’s curb on bomb delivery could be a catalyst to end Rafah standoff

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09.05.2024

US President Joe Biden’s announcement to stop supplying weapons to Israel should it launch an all-out assault on the city of Rafah delivers a heightened state of brinksmanship to a region already teetering on the edge.

Amid concern for the wellbeing of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering in Rafah, Biden told CNN the US was still committed to Israel’s defence and would supply defensive arms, but that if Israel goes into Rafah, “we’re not going to supply the........

© The Sydney Morning Herald


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