Dem Sen., Biden Co-Chair: ‘No Risk’ Hamas Will Re-Arm Soon, I'll Condition Aid if Israel Goes Into Rafah at Large Scale

On Friday's edition of NBC's “MTP Now,” Biden Campaign Co-Chair Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) stated that if Israel goes into Rafah “at a very large scale,” he would support conditioning aid to the country and that “there is no risk that Hamas will re-arm and re-equip in the coming weeks,” so Israel has “the time, and I think they have the obligation to come up with a plan that will provide for safety for civilians and allow them to carry out precise, targeted, small-scale operations to continue to go after Hamas leadership.”

Host Kristen Welker asked, “Given what you are saying you would like to see in terms of any type of invasion into Rafah, would you condition aid, would you support aid being conditioned to Israel if Israel does not meet what the United States is asking for?”

Coons answered, “If Israel were to use the weapons and the financial support that we provide to just go into Rafah at a very large scale, use 1,000-pound bombs and use infantry and military tactics that kill thousands and thousands of Palestinian civilians without taking into account an alternative path that might secure safety for a majority of those civilians, I would take that step, yes. That's something I've never said before. And it's meant to convey the intensity and the sincerity of my concern about the consequences here. This is an unprecedented challenge for Israel. Egypt is not allowing any Palestinians to leave Gaza and go into the Sinai. There is no other place for them to safely go, and there has to be provision made. … So, I think the IDF — which has complete control over the perimeter of Gaza and there is no risk that Hamas will re-arm and re-equip in the coming weeks, they have the time, and I think they have the obligation to come up with a plan that will provide for safety for civilians and allow them to carry out precise, targeted, small-scale operations to continue to go after Hamas leadership.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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