White House officials said Monday that they were "perplexed" and "disappointed" that Israel's leader called off a delegation meant to discuss U.S. concerns about his imminent plans to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
But they said Monday they would use a trio of high-level U.S. meetings with Israel's defense minister, including talks with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday, to press their case.
"We're kind of perplexed by this," said White House national security communications adviser John Kirby, who acknowledged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reason for abruptly pulling back his delegation was his objection to the U.S. decision to abstain from a Monday U.N. vote calling for a Gaza cease-fire.
"In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided the delegation would not leave," his office said in a statement.
The U.S., citing its support for Israel's right to defend itself, has previously wielded its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to block similar cease-fire calls since the start of the conflict more than five months ago.
"Our vote does not — I repeat — does not represent a shift in our policy," Kirby said. "We've been very clear. We've been very consistent in our support for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal. That's how the hostage deal was structured, and the resolution acknowledges the ongoing talks."
But he also noted — repeating the term no fewer than six times — that the U.N. vote is "a nonbinding resolution." That, he said, means "there's no impact at all on Israel and Israel's ability to continue to go after Hamas."
Meanwhile, as Kirby spoke on Monday afternoon, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, at the White House.
“We had a constructive discussion on how best to ensure Hamas' lasting defeat in Gaza,” Sullivan said on X. “I conveyed President Biden’s iron-clad support for Israel’s security and defense against all threats, including Iran. I welcomed Yoav’s commitment to take additional steps to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
Gallant also met Monday afternoon with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who expressed U.S. support for ensuring the defeat of Hamas but reiterated opposition to a ground operation in Rafah that could endanger the Palestinian civilians sheltering there.
“The Secretary underscored that alternatives exist to a major ground invasion that would both better ensure Israel’s security and protect Palestinian civilians,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “Secretary Blinken also discussed the need to immediately surge and sustain additional humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza.”
Ahead of Gallant’s planned Tuesday meeting with Austin, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder also said a Rafah invasion would be a "mistake."
"It would be a mistake not just because of the civilian harm that it would cause, which would be immense," he said. "We also think that this type of invasion would weaken Israel's security. It would make Israel less safe, not more safe. It would undermine its standing in the world."
Austin, he said, "still believes fundamentally in Israel's inherent right to defend themselves and that we will continue to support them in that regard and that that support is ironclad."
He added: "There are ways to go about addressing the threat of Hamas while also taking into account civilian safety."
VOA asked Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, how this flurry of high-level diplomacy could affect Israel's plans to mount a large-scale operation in the crowded city of Rafah.
"Israel wasn't ready to move on Rafah, and it's still not," he told VOA. "I'm sure that the Israelis have concluded that they need to demonstrate they're ready to go into Rafah, even if they eventually don't."
And, he said, "I can imagine any number of ways that Israel could feel it both met its needs and addressed U.S. concerns. Whether Israel will want to do that, and whether the United States would consider its concerns to be addressed, depends how things unfold."
And, analysts say, what happens in Rafah has much wider consequences, for both countries and their leaders.
"Israel will be even further isolated if it goes forward with the attack on Rafah," Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told VOA. "But it will also add tremendous pressure on Biden at home to stop Israel."
And, he said, Gallant's decision to proceed with his Washington meetings also has political implications.
"Biden is seeking to split the Israeli government and isolate Netanyahu," he said. "Ironically, Netanyahu calculates that a fight with Biden benefits him, as he will be able to rally right-wing voters in Israel to his side."
Merissa Khurma, director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, noted that this complex political and diplomatic dance still means one thing: Washington and Jerusalem are talking.
"Gallant taking the meeting with Blinken showcases that both governments are aware dialogue has to continue," she said, "and that canceling the delegation is more about Bibi [Netanyahu] and his political standing with the right-wing factions and the Israeli public who support this war."
VOA's Jeff Seldin and Nike Ching contributed to this report.
