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Source: https://www.newsweek.com/netanyahu-big-gamble-gaza-rafah-hamas-us-biden-1869457
Israel Will Take Whatever Actions It Believes Will Best Serve Its Security Interests, Regardless of Critics
(Newsweek) David Brennan - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel's campaign in Gaza has put victory "in reach." Israeli planners are preparing to push south to Rafah, along the Gaza-Egypt border, prompting warnings of caution from the White House. "Netanyahu and the Israeli government have demonstrated repeatedly that they will take whatever actions they believe will best serve Israel's security, regardless of what their allies or regional partners advocate," Professor Adria Lawrence of Johns Hopkins University said. "The United States simply does not have the ability to deter the Israeli government that some of Biden's critics believe he has....Israel has the capacity to act with or without external support or military aid - it is not dependent on the U.S. military aid or support - and so there are serious limits on what any outside actor can achieve." U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said this week that President Biden is "confident that our Israeli counterparts understand our concerns." In any case, "we're going to continue to support Israel. They have a right and responsibility to go after Hamas. We're going to make sure that they can continue to do that."