UN Peacekeeping Day: US says no redline crossed yet to stop aiding Israel

Today when the United Nations (UN) was observing International UN Peacekeepers Day and Israel killed more than 45 people in Rafah besides attacking a hospital, the White House said President Joe Biden is not altering his policy toward Israel following strikes in Rafah because Israel has not yet crossed the redline. This statement, in fact, reminds the role of the USA when the world was demanding a ceasefire when Israel attacked Egypt in 1973, and as a result of which the UN Peacekeeping forces component was established. Anyhow, the media reported the White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby suggesting that the incident had not yet crossed a red line that would force changes in American support to Israel. The US would look for answers from Israel following the country’s investigation of the incident. “As a result of this strike, I have no policy changes to speak to. It just happened,” Kirby told reporters at the White House. “The Israelis are going to investigate it. We’re going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation. And we’ll see where it goes from there.” he said there were no indications yet that would prompt Biden to withhold aid or weapons to Israel. The US response to the brutal massacre of Gazans doesn’t look surprising when looked how it supported Israel even in the past. It raised a question what this red line is? So far more than 36000 Gazans have been killed, nearly 82000 injured, 1.1 million are displaced, one million faces acute hunger, and 56 percent among the killed are women and children, reasonable grounds of genocide available, International Court of Justice ordered to immediately halt operations in Rafah and barred Israel from committing genocide in Gaza, UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, around 140 nations of the world recognized Palestinian statehood, schools, hospitals, shelter camps, and aid agencies attacked and US red line is crossed yet.French President Emmanuel Macron was reported saying that he was “outraged” by the strikes and called on operations in Rafah to stop. “There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians,” he said on Monday. This statement of the French President came after the camps in Rafah were attacked and fire took the lives of dozens. He said, “I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire.” Israel says it is looking into the possibility that the Sunday strike may have unintentionally set off some possible stored weapons in a nearby compound and then caught the camps. What a laughing stock this statement is and it gets more interesting when the USA says it was waiting for the investigation that Israel is conducting. Kirby suggested the US would look to Israel’s assessment of the incident as it gauges a path forward. “We aren’t on the ground. We aren’t flying the aircraft. We’re not choosing the targets. We’re not providing the intelligence that leads to every target that Israeli society hits. It is their operation,” he said.The United States is closely monitoring the Israeli investigation into the deadly strike and subsequent fire in Rafah. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the findings should be presented openly and transparently to the US and the world. The USA is concerned about the credibility of an investigation conducted by Israel into its actions.Today, the UN observed the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, commemorating the professionalism, dedication, and courage of the military and civilian peacekeepers serving in UN peacekeeping operations. May 29 was designated for this Day in 2002. The UN peacekeepers continue to perform their duties, helping to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. They support communities and residents, ensure humanitarian access to those most affected, and provide shelter when civilians are caught.For 76 years, UN peacekeepers have been working to save and change lives in some of the world’s most fragile political and security situations. Since 1948, more than two million uniformed and civilian personnel have helped countries transition from war to peace. Currently, there are more than 70,000 peacekeepers serving in 11 missions deployed in hotspots around the world. It’s worth noting that Israeli forces remain part of the UN peacekeeping mission, despite the ongoing situation with the Palestinians. This UN force was established during the conflict between Israel and Egypt on October 6, 1973. The Security Council held urgent meetings from October 8 to 12 to address the conflict. The Soviet Union and the United States jointly requested the Security Council’s intervention. On October 22, the Council adopted a resolution that called for a ceasefire. President Anwar Sadat of Egypt asked the Soviet Union and the USA to send troops to enforce the ceasefire, but the USA opposed the request while the Soviet Union agreed. This has been the history of US support to Israel and its concerns for a ceasefire in the Arab region. The US possibly will not end its support to this Zionist state. So far, the UN also looks completely failed in implementing its resolutions and decisions of its top court. How it will react in the future is not yet known but looks linked with the US consent. The Muslim world should play some part so these peacekeeping forces are sent to save the lives of the Palestinians the same way they were sent to save Egypt. (Senior journalist Rana Kashif has authored this opinion article)