Joe Biden’s ultimatum on Rafah sparks backlash on Capitol Hill

Smoke billows during Israeli strikes in Rafah on Monday. Pic/AFP

President Joe Biden finds himself at the centre of bipartisan criticism from Capitol Hill regarding his recent ultimatum to Israel, warning of a halt in some US weapons shipments in response to a potential major Israeli offensive in Rafah, CNN reported.

In a televised interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Biden's declaration drew swift rebuke from lawmakers across the political spectrum. Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio questioned the coherence of Biden's approach, pointing out the contradiction between expressing concern for Palestinian civilian casualties and withholding weapons designed to minimise such casualties.

"On the one hand, they're saying too many Palestinian civilians have been killed. With the other hand, they're depriving us of the precision-guided weapons that actually cut down on civilian casualties," Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio told CNN though Biden specifically mentioned withholding bombs and artillery shells deemed by the administration as indiscriminate and imprecise.

Ambulance driver caught ‘smuggling'

Eight Palestinians were caught being smuggled into Jerusalem by the drivers of a private ambulance dressed as medical personnel on Saturday night, Israel's Border Police announced on Sunday.

The ambulance was stopped at a checkpoint north of Jerusalem. The driver and his assistant told Border Police officers manning the checkpoint they were on their way to a life-saving incident. The officers became suspicious when a check of their systems turned up no such event described by the driver.

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