Joe’s Pickle: Gaza Red Line From Obama’s Hell

Joe warns Netanyahu an assault on Rafah would cross his “red line”? What the hell is that? Some more dinky Russkie-like sanctions when Israel thinks its survival is at stake? Why should Net take him more seriously than ISIS took Obama’s “line in the sand”?

Agreed Mr. Biden & senior security officials fear a Gaza bloodbath will add to the thousands of civilians already caught in deadly crossfire since Hamas killed 1,200 innocents in Israel on Oct. 7. And, they have good reason to believe such a sight of rapidly rising body counts would add to the growing protests against US support for Israel as well as probable loss of pro-Palestinian votes in US’s November presidential election. Yet, just as obviously, Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly made it clear it sees the Rafah assault as essential to completing its goal of dismantling Hamas & preventing more bloody attacks in the future. Noted one WSJ story: An Israeli war cabinet member bluntly told US officials warning against the Rafah plan: “Finishing the war without demilitarizing Rafah is like sending in firefighters to put out 80% of a fire.” Translated: Israel thinks it has no choice but forge ahead into Rafah … with or without US support.

Hence, searching for a “message” that might navigate the irrepressible divide between Israeli & Hamas, Team Biden keeps talking about Israel’s duty to simply provide a “plan” that would ensure the safety of the 1 million Gaza refugees now packed into Rafah … before it demolishes Hamas there. Talk about Jim Nabors singing “Impossible Dream”? Does that “Red Line 2.0” have teeth any sharper (let alone more realistic) than Obama’s ignored “Line in the Sand” … until Trump came along & saw the ugly truth?

Davd Soul