On Tuesday’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer stated that the disagreement between the U.S. and Israel over a ground incursion into Rafah “is not the first time we’ve had a disagreement with the United States over our military operations.” And that “Even at the beginning of the war, there was a disagreement” between Israel and the Biden administration about “whether we should go in with a ground campaign.”
Dermer said, [relevant remarks begin around 6:50] “Well, the United States, the president had asked the Prime Minister to send a delegation so that the United States could present its ideas for some alternative to a major military operation in Gaza. Now, this is not the first time we’ve had a disagreement with the United States over our military operations. Even at the beginning of the war, there was a disagreement [about] whether we should go in with a ground campaign. Now, that ground campaign proved very, very effective. And without it, there’s simply no way to dismantle Hamas’ military organization. And that’s the key goal of the war, that has to be accomplished to ensure that October 7 can never happen again, and we’re well on our way to accomplish it.”
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