Biden to meet with King of Jordan as US, Israel go 'back and forth' over Rafah invasion

WASHINGTON ― The Biden administration and Israeli officials remain at odds over Israel's planned military incursion in Rafah as President Joe Biden prepares to host King Abdullah II of Jordan next week.

Two recent virtual meetings between U.S. and Israeli officials had a lot of "back and forth" on how to proceed in Rafah, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

"We've expressed our concerns with a major ground invasion in Rafah. We've been very clear about that," Jean-Pierre said, adding that the U.S. has presented "an alternative course for Israel to dismantle Hamas."

"We believe Israel will take our concerns on board. They will take into account our consideration as they plan their their next operations," she said.

With pro-Palestinian protests erupting across U.S. college campuses, Biden faces increasing pressure politically to convince Israel to hold off on an invasion.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been traveling in the Middle East, met Wednesday with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try and stop a full-scale Israeli invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, which many believe could make a humanitarian disaster even worse and lead to thousands more casualties.

Blinken is trying to get Hamas to agree to a truce with Israel for a temporary cease-fire in exchange for the release of additional hostages held captive in Gaza. Netanyahu said Tuesday he plans to move forward with a Rafah invasion "with our without" a cease-fire deal.

After his meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken said he had still not seen a Rafah invasion plan by Israel that would protect civilians, like the U.S. has demanded.

"We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed and no, we've not seen such a plan," Blinken told reporters.

Biden's meeting next week with King Abdullah II follows an earlier White House meeting the two leaders had in February. Jordan and other Arab nations have for months demanded an Israeli cease-fire.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US, Israel go 'back and forth' on Rafah invasion plans