Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did everything but spit in Antony Blinken’s soup yesterday. Regardless of whether the Biden administration thinks it is “managing” their rambunctious client state into a “kinder, gentler” form of mass killing, or whether they are playing a cynical good cop/bad cop game, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken was publicly humiliated in his latest venture into the region.
Netanyahu was in full flight forward mode yesterday. Despite Hamas extending Netanyahu an offer that would allow him to get all of Israel’s civilian hostages, and then to decide to go back to his ethnic cleansing of Gaza, he called the offer the “bizarre demands” that would not lead to the return of hostages, but “only invite another massacre.” He announced that he ordered Israel’s troops to “prepare to operate” in a land invasion of Rafah, the last refuge of over a million displaced Palestinian civilians. According to the Jerusalem Times, he declared that, in accordance with international law, a corridor would be provided. But, after being pushed from Gaza City to Khan Younis, and from Khan Younis to Rafah, what corridor is left is absurd.
Netanyahu explained that Israel will “ensure that Gaza is demilitarized forever.” Only Israel and its security forces can ensure this. “What this means is that Israel will be and will act in Gaza wherever and whenever it needs to, to ensure that terror does not again raise its head.” Further, since any Palestinian can be accused of being a supporter of terrorism, there can no longer be civil governance in Gaza. And, the workers at UN Relief and Works Administration for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) are, purportedly, also supporters of terrorism; hence: “This also means that we will have to replace UNRWA. I have ordered that this process begin, and updated Secretary Blinken about this today.”
That is, Netanyahu told Blinken that he has ordered the dismantling of the only relief agency with the ready capability to deliver any aid, even the minuscule levels Israel has been permitting, never mind the millions of Palestinians overseas waiting for their right to return. In the face of known conditions on the ground, this is genocide. Blinken not only could have or should have known, but he does know. Hence, he has responsibility under the Genocide Convention to take active measures to stop such matters—and he did not utter a peep. And Netanyahu let it be known to one and all that Blinken is as guilty as he is.
