A virtual meeting on Monday between top U.S. and Israeli officials to discuss Israel’s plans for a ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza grew contentious after the Americans pushed back on Israel’s proposal to evacuate Palestinian civilians sheltering there, two U.S. officials and one former U.S. official familiar with the meeting said. Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, began yelling and waving his arms around as he defended the plan to move 1.4 million civilians over several weeks from Rafah to tents that would be set up north of the city, the officials said. |