In a recent development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to President Joe Biden's statement that an Israeli invasion of Rafah, a city in Gaza, would be a "red line" for American support.
Netanyahu affirmed that Israel would indeed invade Rafah, citing his own red line as ensuring "that October 7th doesn't happen again, never happens again."
The Prime Minister's comments were made during an interview with BILD. When asked, "You're 100 percent sure that you go into Rafah?" Netanyahu replied, "We'll go there. We're not going to leave them. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7th doesn't happen again, never happens again. And to do that, we have to complete the destruction of the Hamas terrorist army."
Netanyahu's remarks come amid reports of the Biden administration's alleged attempts at regime change in Israel. They also follow a candid moment caught on a hot mic after Biden's State of the Union address, where he mentioned having a "come to Jesus" moment with "Bibi," Netanyahu's nickname.
In a separate interview with MSNBC, Biden reiterated his stance, stating that Israel's invasion of Rafah would be a "red line" for American support. However, he also affirmed that he was "never gonna leave Israel."
Netanyahu further explained his position during the BILD interview, stating that once Israel had completed its mission of eliminating Hamas in other areas of Gaza, the civilians could return to the north, where they had originally lived. Israel would then proceed to Rafah to eradicate Hamas there.
When asked about Biden's "red line" comments, Netanyahu responded, "My red line is very simple. We're not going to leave Hamas with the capability of pursuing, of perpetrating another Hamas massacre as they did on October 7th. And the only way we can do that is, we cannot leave -- we cannot leave the Hamas terrorist battalions intact. It means that, in fact, we lose the war."
Netanyahu also touched upon the support he has received from Arab leaders in the region, stating that they understand the need to eliminate Hamas. However, he did not specify whether these leaders support an Israeli invasion of Rafah.
A report published in New York Magazine on Saturday suggests that the Biden administration is covertly working to oust Netanyahu. The report alleges that Biden has been making a series of moves to marginalize Netanyahu both internationally and at home.
In the wake of these developments, Netanyahu has stated that while he would prefer to have the United States' support, Israel can accomplish its mission in Rafah without it. He expressed disappointment at the lack of support from Biden, stating, "It's clear that even if Israel technically has our support whenever that occurs, that he absolutely does not have Biden's support. And that's a shame."
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