Skip to main content

As Israel tests red lines on Rafah, what will Biden tolerate?

Amid the mounting death toll in Rafah, many of Biden’s detractors say his shifting red line has become an effective green light for continued carnage in the Palestinian enclave.
ALLISON BAILEY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

You're reading an excerpt from The Takeaway, where we break down the latest in US-Middle East diplomacy. To read the full newsletter, sign up here.   

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s national security spokesperson John Kirby insisted to journalists this week that Biden had been “very clear and very direct” on what he will tolerate in Rafah. 

Judging by the number of follow-up questions, Biden’s position is anything but. 

Kirby and other administration spokespeople have spent weeks trying to articulate what would constitute a crossing of Biden’s rhetorical “red line” for continued US support for Israel. 

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.