US 'Pressure' Makes Israel Suddenly Care About Aid
Al Jazeera reports that Israel is contemplating reopening the Rafah crossing, but only after explicit 'US pressure.' This isn't exactly a paradigm shift for a government that has routinely ignored international calls for humanitarian access while occupying the Palestinian side of the crossing, effectively choking Gaza. Remember October 2023, when aid was blocked for weeks despite urgent warnings
from the UN? Or 2014, when similar pleas for safe passage amounted to precisely nothing? It seems Washington needs to apply direct pressure for basic civility to emerge, rather than expecting it as a baseline human right. This 'pressure' often coincides with significant financial packages. Take the recent $14 billion aid bill (HR 815, 2024), pushed through Congress despite widespread concerns
about civilian casualties. Suddenly, the Biden administration finds its voice over Rafah. It appears the humanitarian switch flips not when children starve, but when political optics or aid packages are on the line. How many times will the world watch this charade before realizing the puppet strings are not merely symbolic?