Netanyahu Refuses Rafah Reopening, US Officials Express 'Concern'
Netanyahu’s current stance on Rafah, as reported by The New Arab, is hardly a new tactic for the Prime Minister. This 'security' rationale mirrors his government's consistent strategy to choke off Gaza, a policy that predates October 7th by decades. Remember the numerous 'ceasefires' (more like brief pauses in strangulation) where aid pledges evaporated? Gaza has been under a suffocating blockade
for 17 years, yet somehow, each new closure is treated as a fresh, unprecedented challenge. The US, meanwhile, continues to 'urge restraint' while simultaneously approving cluster bomb sales and billions in military aid. It’s almost as if 'concern' is the official diplomatic euphemism for 'enabling the siege.' How many times must the international community watch a 2.3 million-person prison starve
before someone asks if the 'security concerns' are perhaps a pretext for collective punishment? One might wonder if the concern is less for Gazans, and more for the optics of a starvation campaign funded by billions of US taxpayer dollars. After all, it's difficult to maintain the 'democratic ally' facade when children are dying of malnutrition within eyesight of aid trucks.