"Palestinian refugees fleeing from northern Gaza and other parts of Gaza were told by the Netanyahu government that Rafah was a safe place for them to go. Within hours of meeting Secretary Blinken, Prime Minister Netanyahu rebuffed that request." The scathing rebuke was made by Democratic Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen in a speech on the Senate floor on Monday.
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"Yesterday, as if to rub it in, Netanyahu appeared on ABC News, here in the United States, to say that despite the request from the United States, he had decided that Israel will launch a military operation in the city of Rafah."
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President Biden and Sen. Van Hollen are unhappy about the Rafah assault
(Photo: Reuters, Nathan Howard, AP/Evan Vucci)
Van Hollen went on to claim that Netanyahu's actions are "part of a pattern", where the prime minister thanks President Biden for the military assistance the U.S provides, and then proceeds to ignore American pleas to protect Gazan civilians and does whatever he wants.
The Senator then accused Israel of "war crimes" and called upon President Biden to deal with Netanyahu and his "far right" government in order to avert a humanitarian disaster. He further claimed that breast-feeding women, girls and infants in northern Gaza face famine, as no food remains, and whatever food they do have, is "of the lowest nutritional value".
Pointing to Netanyahu's "unacceptable" behavior, Van Hollen referred to the continuation of military aid to Israel, asking: "What will we do? What will President Biden do?"
In a statement given alongside King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Biden said the military operation in Rafah "should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of over one million people sheltering there."
"We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe. The situation is already unbearable," the Jordanian king said.
While the credibility of the Palestinian Health Ministry remains an open question, they've estimated that since the onset of Israel's offensive following the October 7 massacre, 12,300 Palestinian children have died.