Blinken: Israel's Gaza tactics risk 'enduring insurgency'
The secretary of state criticized Israel's lack of plan to protect Rafah civilians
What happened
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken "delivered some of the Biden administration's strongest public criticism yet of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza" in a pair of TV interviews Sunday, The Associated Press said. Meanwhile, as Israeli forces pushed deeper into Rafah to pursue a goal of eradicating the last Hamas military stronghold, reconstituted Hamas forces attacked in areas farther north that Israel had declared cleared of militants.
Who said what
Israel "may go in and have some initial success" in Rafah, "potentially at an incredibly high cost to civilians," but "they will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency because a lot of armed Hamas will be left no matter what they do in Rafah," Blinken said. Notably, U.S. and Israeli intelligence say "Hamas' top leaders in the Gaza Strip, including Yahya Sinwar, are not hiding in Rafah," said The New York Times.
Blinken also discussed a report released Friday on Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons, saying "it was reasonable to assess that, in certain instances, Israel acted in ways that are not consistent with international humanitarian law."
What next?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has yet to chart a vision for postwar Gaza's governance," saying only that he sees no place for the Palestinian Authority or an Israeli military occupation, The Wall Street Journal said. Nothing good will happen, Blinken said, if Israel "leaves a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What would a credit card rate cap mean for you?the explainer President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of a one-year rate cap
-
Is the American era officially over?Talking Points Trump’s trade wars and Greenland push are alienating old allies
-
Political cartoons for January 26Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include an ICE storm, the TikTok takeover, and Iranian-style reform
-
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ comes into confounding focusIn the Spotlight What began as a plan to redevelop the Gaza Strip is quickly emerging as a new lever of global power for a president intent on upending the standing world order
-
Trump sues JPMorgan for $5B over ‘debanking’Speed Read Trump accused the company of closing his accounts for political reasons
-
Minnesota roiled by arrests of child, church protestersSpeed Read A 5-year-old was among those arrested
-
Migrant death in ICE custody ruled homicideSpeed Read Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died of asphyxia, the coroner said
-
ICE memo OKs forcible entry without warrantSpeed Read The secret memo was signed last May
-
DOGE shared Social Security data, DOJ saysSpeed Read The Justice Department issued what it called ‘corrections’ on the matter
-
Halligan quits US attorney role amid court pressureSpeed Read Halligan’s position had already been considered vacant by at least one judge
-
DOJ subpoenas Minnesota Democrats in legal escalationSpeed Read Several officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, were subpoenaed
