The Biden administration is weighing how to respond if Israel defies warnings against launching a military invasion of Rafah without a credible plan to protect Palestinian civilians, the US network NBC News has reported.
According to one former and three current US officials, there is growing concern that Biden’s pleas will be ignored. Netanyahu announced earlier this week that he had approved plans for an incursion into the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, where more than one million people are sheltering.
Failing to comply with the US request for Israel to present a plan for the evacuation of civilians in Rafah by March 24 could force the issue of military support and potentially push the longtime alliance into new territory, NBC News reported.
The US has not conditioned any military support for Israel, though government officials have considered withholding or delaying the sale of some weaponry.
source: AlJazeera
