The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 29th, 2024: Biden's Rafah Red Line & Ukraine Unshackled

Episode Date: May 29, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    As international pressure mounts on Israel following the tragic fire in Rafah, the Biden administration has reiterated their support for Jerusalem��s ongoing offensive, arguing their actions have not yet crossed any red lines set out by the White House. A number of European allies are lifting the restrictions on how Ukraine uses western-supplied weapons, giving Kyiv the green light to strike targets inside Russia. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. It's Wednesday, 29 May. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, as international pressure mounts on Israel following the tragic fire in Rafah, the Biden administration has reiterated their support for Jerusalem's ongoing offensive, arguing that their actions have not yet crossed any red lines set out by the White House. Also, as fighting rages in northeast, Ukraine, a number of European allies are giving Kiv the green light to use NATO-supplied weapons on targets inside Russia. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Beginning in Gaza, the Biden administration has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Israel's ongoing offensive in Rafah, reiterating their support for leaders in Jerusalem as international condemnation mounts over the civilian toll. Israeli forces pushed deeper into Rafah on Tuesday, with tanks seen. entering a strategic corridor near the western part of the enclave for the first time since the

war began. On Wednesday, Israel's senior national security advisor said he expected the war to continue for at least another seven months. Targeted airstrikes have also reportedly continued, drawing, of course, outcries from allies given the tragic fire sparked by an airstrike on Sunday that caused the reported deaths of 45 people in a crowded tent camp, along with more than 200 injuries, according to an NBC news report. While the matter is still being investigated, it does appear that the Israeli strike, which used small-scale precision bombs,

may have triggered a Hamas-controlled munitions store or a gas tank in the vicinity, sparking the subsequent explosions that triggered the deadly blaze. Israeli officials were quick to note that the bombs used were the smallest available in their arsenal and could not have caused a damage alone. They also noted that the strike occurred a tent encampment outside of an established safe zone for Palestinian civilians, and that two

senior Hamas terrorists were killed in the initial strike. On Tuesday, the White House called the incident, quote, heartbreaking and horrific, but added, it appeared to be the result of a strike going, quote, horribly wrong, and did not represent a purposeful targeting of civilians. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed that while the Biden administration is not turning a blind eye to Israel's operations in Gaza, their actions have yet to violate any red lines laid out by the White House. He said they would await the results of Israel's investigation into the incident before commenting further. As a reminder, Biden has said he opposes a full-scale ground offense of Indirafa by Israel and may withhold weapons shipments if his warnings are ignored. Kirby argued Israel's current

operations in Gaza do not yet constitute a major operation. When pressed on how Israeli tanks entering Western Rafah did not constitute a ground invasion, Kirby noted that the tanks were moving along a critical strip of land running along the Egypt-Ghasa border that holds vital strategic value. He stressed the IDF forces did not appear to be conducting ground operations, quote, in the town proper. The briefing turned heated at one point with a reporter asking how many charred corpses Biden needed to see before shifting his stance. Well, Kirby clapped back, calling the framing of the question offensive, and saying the White House doesn't want to see any more innocent lives taken in the conflict. Kirby said, quote, you'll,

you've all seen the images, they're heartbreaking, they're horrific, there should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict, end quote. He added, however, that Israel, of course, has a right to go after Hamas. And we understand, he said, that this strike did kill two senior Hamas terrorists who are directly responsible for attacks against the Israeli people. And unquote. Whatever the cause of the fire, the incident has provoked fierce international criticism of Israel's ongoing offensive, with a growing choir of countries calling for an immediate halt in fighting. Now, Israeli officials submitted a new ceasefire proposal to Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediators on Monday that offered a, quote, sustainable calm, though details of the

proposal were not immediately available. Hamas claimed on Tuesday that they've yet to receive a new proposal from the mediators in Egypt. Coming up after the break, a number of European allies are lifting the restrictions on how Ukraine uses Western supplied weapons, giving Kiev the green light to strike targets inside Russia. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points.

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Continuing our coverage of the ongoing debate over whether Ukraine should be permitted to use Western weapons to strike inside Russia, momentum continues to build for the lifting of restrictions. Several key U.S. allies have now given the green light. Speaking at a news conference, alongside German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, French President Emmanuel Macron, stated that French weapons sent to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, would be permitted to target bases inside Russia. Macron said that French-supplied weapons would be allowed to neutralize sites from which the missiles are fired and any military sites from which Ukraine is attacked. However, Macron didn't cut the strings entirely, adding that the weapons would not be allowed to touch other

targets in Russia and obviously no civilians. German Chancellor Schultz appeared to support Macron's remarks, declaring that Ukraine should be allowed to defend itself as long as it does so within the bounds of international law and according to the conditions set by the countries that supply the weapons. Poland has also now announced it will apply no restrictions on the use of weapons supplied by Warsaw to strike Russian territory. In an interview with Poland's Radio Zet, the nation's deputy defense minister, said Warsaw would not impose any limitations on the use of Polish weapons by Ukrainians.

He added, quote, The Polish position is that there should be no restrictions in this regard. Ukraine should be able to fight with the equipment it receives because that is why it receives this equipment to be effective, end quote. As we reported yesterday, NATO is backing the lifting of restrictions. The Alliance's parliamentary assembly adopted a declaration on Tuesday, stating that allies must accelerate the delivery of crucial weapons to Ukraine and lift restrictions on their use. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also agreed on the need to remove limitations

on the use of weapons, saying, quote, the right to self-defense includes hitting legitimate targets outside Ukraine, end quote. And that news comes despite warnings from Russian President Putin. During a trip to Uzbekistan, Putin said that relaxing restrictions on Ukraine, Ukraine is part of an escalation that can lead to serious consequences. Putin added, quote, in Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with, end quote. Well, how about that? Putin failed to mention that he started this conflict by invading another country. And that's quite the oversight. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 29 May. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at

PDB at thefirstTV.com. And if you want to listen to the show ad-free, be sure to check out our premium membership at PDBPremium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, because behind every headline is a bottom line. Whether it's the funds-fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.