JERUSALEM, Israel – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli leaders Wednesday. It’s his seventh visit since the start of the war in Gaza, and this time he’s on a mission to stop Israel’s next military operation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Blinken despite strong disagreements about the need for the Rafah incursion.
The challenge continues for the prime minister, meeting again with the highest foreign policy official in an administration that has actively sought to replace him.
Blinken has praised the latest Israeli offer of a ceasefire for the release of 33 Hamas-held Hostages as “extraordinarily generous,” and said it’s up to Hamas to accept the agreement.
The White House objects to an Israeli military campaign against Hamas because it claims there isn’t an adequate plan in place to protect Gaza civilians. Army Radio reported Wednesday that the IDF will declare a new “safe zone” for Rafah residents.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu pledged to a group of parents of hostages and families of slain soldiers that Israel will go into Rafah “with or without a deal.”
Despite U.S. pressure, a former Israeli national security advisor said the Rafah operation is essential to Israel’s security to defeat Hamas’ remaining battalions, secure the
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