https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-11-2014-785309c668e15728c6aac9905f290b4d
Israel is considering taking military actions on Rafah, a town that borders Gaza. However, President Joe Biden believes that this action could cause harm to the citizens in the area. He told the Prime Minister that they should not conduct military action without having a “credible and executable” plan to ensure the safety of civilians. Almost 50% of people living in Gaza have relocated to Rafah in order to escape the violence. This is why officials believe that any military operation in Rafah would only hurt the humanitarian crisis that is occuring in the region. The Israeli leadership believes that there are many other places that the civilians could go, but every option is not safe for the civilians.
The Israeli government is not taking the well-being of these citizens into consideration when they are planning their military action. It is not even a thought because they are more focused on their goals than supporting the nearby people. However, other countries have realized that Israel going into Rafah would cause a huge problem for neighboring countries. That is why the United States warned Israel to have a very strategic plan when entering Rafah. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other neighboring countries have all threatened some kind of action if Israel does decide to go into Rafah. Israel going into Rafah would cause so much tension in the area and lead to a humanitarian crisis.
This relates to class because it is dealing with geography and how that affects a country’s decision making. The location of citizens and refugees that are trying to escape the fighting has caused many countries to have a say in what occurs in the region. Depending on what Israel does, these civilians could be pushed into another country or area that can not support them. This fear has created much tension in the area and multiple countries have threatened severe repercussions if Israel goes into Rafah. This is why countries need to take into account the impact that geography has on their decisions.