Biden’s curb on bomb delivery could be a catalyst to end Rafah standoff

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said the decision was “very disappointing … even frustrating”. He suggested the move stemmed from political pressure on Biden from Congress, the US university campus protests and the upcoming election.

From wherever the pressure on Biden emanates, it is clear the strength of the relationship between his administration and Netanyahu is about to be tested to the utmost.

The US-Israel relationship has been close in the past through both Democratic and Republican administrations but not without its moments of tension. President Ronald Reagan imposed a six-year ban on cluster weapons sales to Israel and their use was reviewed under president George W. Bush, over concerns they were used during a 2006 war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

Evidence, then, that Israel can if needed be influenced.

Israel launched the invasion of the Gaza Strip following a savage attack by Hamas that killed an estimated 1200 people and resulted in more than 250 people taken hostage. In response, the Israeli military has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians and injured at least 77,000 others, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

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Israeli troops earlier this week seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing in a move the White House described as a limited operation that stopped short of a full-on Israeli invasion of the city.

Any line in the sand cannot come too soon if it helps to restore the severed lines of humanitarian aid to the 1 million or so inside Rafah. Civilian Iyad al-Masry joined the exodus with his family, including a baby, leaving Rafah for the supposed safe town and tent camp at nearby Muwasi. He told news agency AP he had been searching for water but couldn’t afford the three shekels – about $1.20 – that sellers charge for a gallon of drinking water. “We want to eat … We are just waiting for God’s mercy,” he said.

While politicians position and negotiate, urgent assistance must be afforded to this shameful scene of ongoing famine and disease.