U.S. Ambassador to Israel urges “not to let differences over U.S. and Iran attack escalate”

“We have not yet reached a point of disagreement in the area…ceasefire should be a shared goal”,

[Rafah=AP/Newsis] Ahead of a large-scale ground operation at Rafah, the southernmost region of Israel, on the 12th(local time), Jack Lew, the US Ambassador to Israel, issued a warning. The photo shows Palestinians evacuating to makeshift tents in Rafah following Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks on the 10th. 2024.05.13., ‘[Seoul=Newsis] As a large-scale ground operation in Rafah, the southernmost region of Israel, is imminent, the Biden administration in the US has been sending warning messages to Israel.’,
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, ‘According to the Times of Israel(TOI) on the 12th (local time), Jack Lew, the US Ambassador to Israel, said in an interview with local media that the Rafah operation has not yet “crossed into an area of disagreement between us (the two countries).”‘,
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, ‘Ambassador Lew then said, “We hope not to reach actual disagreement.” Israel is pushing for a large-scale ground operation at Rafah, the southernmost region where Palestinian refugees have gathered to eliminate the remaining forces of Hamas.’,
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, ‘From Israel’s perspective, a large-scale ground operation in Rafah is inevitable to oust Hamas. However, Ambassador Lew stated that the US has never used the “target of eliminating Hamas” as a war goal.’,
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, ‘He mentioned, “Reducing the scale of Hamas to a level that is no longer a threat is the issue” and reiterated, “We have continuously said that Hamas should not become a political or governing body. This does not mean eradicating Hamas entirely.”‘,
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, ‘He went on to say, “I have not said before that tracking the remaining 4 divisions of Hamas in Rafah is a legitimate goal” and suggested there are better ways to accomplish this, referring to ‘targeted operations.'”,
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, ‘After initially supporting Israel following the ceasefire, the Biden administration opposed the large-scale ground operation in Rafah earlier this month and temporarily suspended the provision of offensive weapons. Some view this as indicating a shift in the relationship between the US and Israel.’,
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, ‘However, Ambassador Lew drew a line, stating, “Fundamentally, there is no change in (the relationship between the two countries).” He explained, “If you think something fundamentally changed in the relationship, that would be a mistake.”‘,
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, ‘Regarding claims that the US shares sensitive information with Israel, including the whereabouts of Hamas leaders, there is a common goal between the two countries to “oust Hamas, find Hamas leaders, and block the borders against smuggling.”‘,
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, ‘He said that it is not easy to predict how this war will end, stating that Israel has already “paid a high price.” He emphasized, “Everyone wants this war to end” and said, “That should be a shared goal.”‘,
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