Biden's 'Red Line' on Rafah: A Fiction as Gazan Patients Die
News reports cite the closure of the Rafah crossing, following the Israeli military operation, has stranded an estimated 25,000 critically ill and wounded Palestinians inside Gaza. Al Jazeera, among others, highlights the humanitarian catastrophe, focusing on the immediate impact on patients unable to access life-saving medical care abroad. What these reports often fail to emphasize, however, is
the direct culpability of the United States in this unfolding tragedy. Mainstream outlets, including many that typically scrutinize humanitarian crises, frame the Rafah closure as an Israeli military action with humanitarian fallout, rather than a joint US-Israeli operation. This narrative obscures the United States' role as a direct participant in the invasion, providing not only diplomatic cover
but also weapons, intelligence, and financial aid that are integral to the siege. President Biden's much-touted 'red line' against a major Rafah offensive has been demonstrably crossed months ago with no consequence, yet outlets like Axios and the New York Times continue to refer to it as if it still holds meaning, presenting a false narrative of US restraint. This deliberate omission connects
directly to the historical pattern of external powers dictating the terms of Palestinian existence, a legacy extending back to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which unilaterally promised a homeland for Jewish people in Palestine without consulting the indigenous population. Today, the US-Israel military alliance directly facilitates the systemic extermination of Palestinians in Gaza, where over