The turning point in Rafah passes through Riyadh. Where Abu Mazen, the Palestinian presidentwarns that Israelis are ready to invade the last square kilometers of the Strip towards the border with Egypt. «Only the Americans can stop them», invokes the Raìs who is in Saudi Arabia for a summit in which he also participates Antony Blinken. The US Secretary of State arrives in the Middle East to discuss the last possibilities of a pause in the fighting in exchange for the release in the first phase of at least 33 hostages including women, minors, the elderly and the sick.
He arrives in Israel the day after tomorrow and according to local media he will visit Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the most devastated by the attacks of October 7th. To show that the The White House does not forget the massacres perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists, at the same time wants to move forward. THE leaders of Hamas at least in words they say that «there are no major problems with the new proposal». Within the war council he would be the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu what more he opposes to an agreement with the fundamentalists, the pact would certainly postpone the operation in the town where one and a half million displaced people from the devastated north of Gaza are crowded together. And the leader of the right repeats that the offensive is necessary for “total victory”.
Joe Biden spoke to him yesterday to reiterate the White House’s position. Bibi knows that he could lose the pieces of the coalition that keep him in power. Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance and leader of the settlers, threatens him directly: «Accepting the deal would be a humiliating defeat, if you decide to raise the flag the government no longer has any reason to exist.” He replies to him Benny Gantz, the former Minister of Defense who left the opposition to participate in the restricted cabinet: «Bringing the hostages home is more important than Rafah». A double ultimatum on Netanyahu’s head.
Herzi Halevi, the chief of staffannounces that i plans are ready, the Americans remain against it, they want to see in any case how the army intends to move civilians from Rafah. L’Egypt fears influx of refugees and he doesn’t want Tsahal’s tanks too close to those deployed on the other side of the border. A Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo to evaluate the possible ceasefire in the Strip, where i Almost 35 thousand Palestinians were killed. “Netanyahu has agreed to listen to any of our reservations,” says John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Advisor. The Israeli Prime Minister – reveals journalist Ben Caspit – he fears that in the next few days the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants against him and the other leaders of the State for war crimes. He would have spent the weekend on the phone to avoid a measure that would prevent him from traveling to the 120 countries that have joined the treaty. The agitation would explain one of his message via social media — “we will not bow to the judges” — although no news on a possible decision has yet emerged from The Hague. In an internal US State Department document — obtained by the news agency Reuters — some diplomats warn Blinken that Israel may have violated international laws while using the armaments supplied by the United States».
