Did Secretary Blinken just deliver Biden's promised 'come to Jesus' message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?
Blinken on Friday warned the Israeli leader and his war cabinet in a meeting that "Israel's security and its place in the world are in peril" — according to a description of the remarks in Axios. Blinken emphasized to Israel's leadership that "you might not realize it until it's too late."
Blinken warned further that on Israel's current trajectory and with plans for the 'day after Hamas' still up in the air, the Gaza crisis is headed toward an indefinite troop occupation scenario with an insurgency Israel can't handled. He ultimately conveyed that Israel faces further isolation on the world stage.
"You need a coherent plan, or either you're going to be stuck in Gaza," the US top diplomat said per a source that spoke to Axios.
According to more from the closed door remarks, "The Secretary of State said that on the current path, Hamas will stay in control in Gaza or there will be anarchy, which will just create the conditions for more terrorism."
The Israeli prime minister is then reported to have responded following Blinken's dire warnings, "We will have our hands full for decades."
This unusual showdown comes as Israel says it is ready to send forces into Rafah, even if Washington objects, but that it's ready to facilitate the safe exit of the civilian population. As recently as days ago the White House said it had yet to see a coherent plan for a humanitarian corridor.
While Blinken emphasized that he came to Israel once again as a 'friend' - a clear humanitarian strategy needs to be put in place. Netanyahu addressed these US concerns in a statement Friday:
"I told Blinken we recognize the need to evacuate the civilian population from war zones in Gaza and to take care of humanitarian needs and that we are taking action in this direction."
And yet he also pledged to move forward with the Rafah operation unhindered: "But I also told Blinken that we can't defeat Hamas without going into Rafah and dismantling the remaining battalions there. I told him that I hope we can do it with U.S. support but if we need to we will do it on our own," Netanyahu said.
As for Israel's growing international isolation connected with the soaring civilian death toll in Gaza, world powers continue sparring a the UN Security Council. An AP summary of the resolution said:
The draft that was put to a vote made no direct link to the release of hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which was in the previous draft. But it unequivocally supported diplomatic efforts “to secure such a cease-fire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages.”
Russia complained that a draft resolution calling for ceasefire put forward by the US was in effect a greenlight for Israeli's military to enter Gaza:
Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians.
The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor, three against and one abstention.
Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said the US draft resolution "contains an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah." He emphasized Russia will no longer tolerate "pointless resolutions, which do not contain a call for a ceasefire which lead us to nowhere."
