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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Monday morning a White House official said, as Israel appeared closer to launching an offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah — a move staunchly opposed by the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.
The call comes hours before Biden is to host King Abdullah II of Jordan for a private lunch meeting at the White House on Monday.
On Sunday, Netanyahu rejected international pressure to halt the war in Gaza in a fiery speech marking the country’s annual Holocaust memorial day, declaring: “If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.”
“I say to the leaders of the world: No amount of pressure, no decision by any international forum will stop Israel from defending itself,” he said, speaking in English. “Never again is now.”