US Secretary of State meets Netanyahu, continues to oppose Rafah attack

Secretary of State Blinken reaffirmed that the US does not support Israel's military invasion of Rafah in Gaza, after Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to attack the city.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Israel on May 1, the final stop on his Middle East tour, and had a 2.5-hour meeting with host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Mr. Blinken reaffirmed "Washington's clear position on Rafah," which is to oppose Israel launching a ground campaign against the city.

The two sides also discussed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, with Mr. Blinken saying the Palestinian militant group was obstructing the negotiations. The US secretary of state acknowledged that the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip had increased after Israel reopened some routes into the territory last month at Washington's request.

"Mr. Blinken emphasized the importance of maintaining and increasing these improvement efforts," spokesman Miller said.

Mr. Blinken shook hands with Mr. Netanyahu during a meeting on May 1 in Jerusalem. Photo: Office of the Israeli Prime Minister — Secretary of State Blinken shakes hands with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 1. Photo: *Office of the Israeli Prime Minister*

Secretary of State Blinken is traveling to the Middle East in an effort to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that will last at least six weeks. US officials hope the agreement will help the international community deliver more food and water to the Gaza Strip, where fighting has caused a massive humanitarian crisis and displaced large numbers of people.

The deal is also expected to help Israel return hostages held by Hamas, thereby preventing Tel Aviv from launching a ground operation into Rafah.

About 1.5 million Palestinians are concentrated in Rafah after fleeing other parts of the Gaza Strip. The international community has warned of the risk of a large-scale humanitarian crisis there if Israel launches a ground operation.

Washington also announced that it would not support Tel Aviv in launching an operation into the city if Israel could not come up with a suitable and reliable plan to ensure that no humanitarian crisis occurred.

However, on April 30, the Israeli Prime Minister reaffirmed his determination to send troops into Rafah, regardless of whether the country reaches a ceasefire agreement with Hamas or not.

"We will eliminate Hamas battalions in Rafah and accomplish all the objectives of the operation, including bringing all hostages home," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would seek to evacuate civilians before sending troops into the city.

Currently, the negotiation process on a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel is still going on actively, but the two sides still disagree on a number of issues. Hamas demands that Israel stop the campaign and withdraw all troops from the Gaza Strip, while Tel Aviv only accepts a temporary ceasefire.