米、イスラエル政策に変更なし　２６日のラファ攻撃受け

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米ホワイトハウスは２８日、ジョー・バイデン大統領は、イスラエルが２６日にパレスチナ自治区ガザ地区最南部ラファを攻撃し多数の死者を出したことでイスラエル政策を変更するつもりはないが、パレスチナの民間人の窮状を「見て見ぬふり」しているわけではないと述べた。（写真は、米国家安全保障会議のジョン・カービー戦略広報調整官）
　ガザの保健当局によれば、２６日のイスラエルによる攻撃を受けて避難民キャンプで火災が発生し、４５人が死亡した。
　だが、米国家安全保障会議のジョン・カービー戦略広報調整官は会見で、米政府はイスラエルのラファでの活動は全面侵攻には当たらず、バイデン氏が設定した「越えてはならない一線」を越えていないと述べた。
　カービー氏は「２６日の攻撃を受けて、発表すべき政策変更はない」「攻撃は偶発的なもので、イスラエルが調査する」と述べた。
　だが、「あと何人が黒焦げ遺体となれば」バイデン氏はイスラエル政策を変更するのかと問われると、カービー氏は「われわれは見て見ぬふりしているわけではない」と答えた。
　バイデン氏は、イスラエル軍によるラファへの大規模侵攻を支持しない姿勢を示してきた。今月には、ラファ攻撃に使用される恐れがあるとして、イスラエルへの爆弾の一部の輸送を停止した。
　目撃者らがＡＦＰに語ったところによると、イスラエル軍とパレスチナ武装勢力との数週間にわたる激戦の末、２８日にイスラエル軍の戦車数台がラファ中心部に入った。
　カービー氏は繰り返される質問に対し、バイデン氏はラファへの大規模な侵攻の定義を変更していないと強調。「イスラエル軍はまだラファに突入していない」「地上の多数の標的に対して何らかの組織的な作戦行動を取り、隊列や編隊を組んで大部隊または大勢の兵士で突入してはいない」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/05/29-16:45）

US President Joe Biden has no plans to change his Israel policy following a deadly weekend strike on Gaza's Rafah -- but is not turning a blind eye to the plight of Palestinian civilians, the White House said Tuesday.
Gazan health authorities said 45 people were killed as a blaze tore through a camp for displaced people following the Sunday strike by Israel.
But Washington does not believe that Israel's actions in Rafah amount to a full-scale operation that would breach Biden's red lines, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
As a result of this strike on Sunday I have no policy changes to speak to, Kirby told a White House briefing. It just happened, the Israelis are going to investigate it.
Kirby added however that this is not something that we've turned a blind eye to when asked how many charred corpses it would take for Biden to change course on the issue.
Biden has previously said he would not support a major Israeli military offensive in Rafah, from which one million civilians have fled, and earlier this month paused a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel over concerns they could be used against the southern Gazan city.
Witnesses told AFP that Israeli tanks were stationed in the center of Rafah on Tuesday, after intense fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in recent weeks.
But under repeated questioning Kirby insisted that the president was not moving the stick on how to define a major military offensive against Rafah.
We have not seen them smash into Rafah, he added.
We have not seen them go in with large units, large numbers of troops, in columns and formations in some sort of coordinated maneuver against multiple targets on the ground.
- No to ICC sanctions -
The Pentagon had earlier said that it considers Israel's assault on Rafah as limited in scope.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also said the administration was waiting for the Israeli military to conclude its investigation into Sunday's strike before commenting further.
We certainly take seriously what happened over the weekend. We've all seen the images. They're absolutely horrific, Singh added.
Earlier US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel's preliminary investigation suggested that the strike was carried out using the smallest bomb in their arsenal.
Israel has called the loss of life a tragic accident and its army said Tuesday its munitions alone could not have caused the deadly blaze, adding that it had targeted and killed two senior Hamas militants in the strike.
The White House also said it did not support calls from Republicans in Congress for sanctions against the International Criminal Court after its prosecutor sought an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
We don't believe that sanctions against the ICC is the right approach here, Kirby said, although he added that the United States still did not believe the war crimes court had jurisdiction.
Separately, the Pentagon said the US military has suspended aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip by sea after its temporary pier was damaged by bad weather.