During an interview with MSNBC over the weekend, US President Joe Biden confirmed that there is a “red line” with Israel’s prime minister, being military operations into Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.

“It is a red line, but I’m never going to leave Israel,” Biden answered to MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart after being specifically asked whether the planned IDF ground operation in Rafah constituted a red line.

“The defense of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line where I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.” 

Biden also labeled Arab civilian deaths as a red line for his administration. 

“You cannot have another 30,000 Palestinians dead as a consequence of going after them [Hamas],” he stated.

The president took aim at PM Netanyahu accusing him of “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” though the specifics of his reference were ambiguous.

Capehart asked if Biden would consider returning to Israel to speak to the Knesset about his concerns related to the war, ceasefire, and future plans for Gaza. The president confirmed his willingness but declined to elaborate further.