American network "NBC" reported today, Wednesday, citing an American official, that the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed the White House that he wishes to set a new date for a canceled meeting regarding a planned military operation in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Netanyahu stated on Monday that he would not send a delegation after the United States refrained from using its veto against a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. He described this as a "clear retreat" from the previous U.S. position.
NBC reported that senior officials in the U.S. administration are working with Israel to schedule a new meeting date. An American official stated today that Israel wants to set a new date to send a delegation to Washington to discuss the potential attack on Rafah. The senior U.S. official explained, "The Prime Minister's office said it wants to set a new date for the meeting concerning Rafah. We are coordinating with them now to find a suitable time."
An Israeli official confirmed that Netanyahu is considering sending a high-level delegation to Washington by next week. Earlier today, Netanyahu said that his cancellation of a visit originally planned for this week by his senior aides to Washington aimed to send a message to Hamas that Israel would not yield to growing international pressure to stop the war in Gaza.
He stated in video remarks during a meeting with U.S. Senator Rick Scott, who is visiting Israel, "This was a message, first and foremost, to Hamas: do not bet on this pressure, it will not be effective." An Israeli delegation was supposed to visit Washington to discuss American concerns regarding Netanyahu’s plans to launch an attack on southern Rafah, where most of Gaza's residents have taken refuge. However, Israel canceled the visit after the United States refrained from voting on a resolution that called for a ceasefire in Gaza during a session, in the absence of the American veto.
