Rashida Tlaib Pressures Biden to Give Israel a 'Red Line'

Representative Rashida Tlaib pressured President Joe Biden to give Israel a "red line" on Friday after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague ordered the country to halt its military operation in Rafah.

The ICJ issued several directives to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday including reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, grant investigators access to the Gaza strip and to provide a progress report to the court within a month on implementing these measures. The demands come amid concerns about the growing number of Palestinian civilian deaths in Israel's offensive.

Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, launched an attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 others hostage. Israel subsequently launched an offensive in Gaza in response that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in the months since, the Associated Press reports, citing the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat who is the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, responded to the ruling with a question for Biden, whose support for Israel has left him at odds with many Democrats who have pushed for a ceasefire of the conflict.

"The whole world is taking action to stop the genocide of Palestinians, including the International Court of Justice. Where is President Biden's 'red line'?" she asked in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday morning.

Israel, meanwhile, has denied that its military operation in Gaza is genocide.

Newsweek reached out to the White House and Tlaib's office for comment via email.

Tlaib has been among the most vocal critics of Biden amid the war between Israel and Hamas. She was among the first members of Congress to call for a ceasefire and has raised concerns about the United States providing Israel weapons amid the conflict.

Earlier in May, Biden said he would not provide bombs to Israel that could be used to attack Rafah, the border crossing with Egypt that has been used as a humanitarian corridor for civilians, acknowledging that U.S. bombs had killed Palestinians.

The Biden administration has continued its support for Israel despite its Rafah offensive, with officials saying they do not believe Israel has crossed any red line.

The president's administration reportedly notified lawmakers earlier this month that he plans to send Israel a military aid package worth more than $1 billion. The package includes about $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the AP reported.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Wednesday, "What we have seen so far in terms of Israel's military operations in that area has been more targeted and limited, has not involved major military operations into the heart of dense urban areas. We now have to see what unfolds from here."

The ICJ, however, said on Friday it was "not convinced" Israel was doing enough to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Gaza. ICJ Judge Nawaf Salam, who led the hearing, said that the court has observed "with regret that the catastrophic living conditions of people in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated further" due to a lack of food.

Minutes after the ruling, Netanyahu announced a special ministerial meeting to decide on a response. Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the ICJ's decision.

"The ICJ's failure to directly link the end of the military operation in Rafah to the release of the hostages and Israel's right to defend itself against terror is an abject moral failure," Lapid said.

Hamas, meanwhile, expressed support for the ruling, but called for further actions to lift the siege on Gaza and end the Israeli military operations entirely​.

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