WASHINGTON — The United States stopped a shipment of bombs to Israel last week in light of the imminent Israeli decision to enter Rafah, a city in the south of Gaza, against Washington’s wishes, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.
Israel once again launched “selective” ground operations in Rafah, in the south, in the midst of negotiations with Hamas to reach a truce, after seven months of war in the Palestinian territory.
The shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombs, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
President Joe Biden is under pressure due to next November’s elections in which he seeks re-election. Pro-Hamas groups and Muslim communities in the Democratic Party condition support for the ruler.
“Guarantee help”
“We will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself,” Austin said. “But that said, we are currently reviewing some short-term security assistance shipments in the context of the events unfolding in Rafah.”
The United States has historically provided military aid to Israel. That accelerated after the Hamas attack on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and captured about 250 hostages. The pause in aid deliveries is the most striking manifestation of the growing disagreement between the governments of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden, who has called on Israel to do much more to protect the lives of innocent civilians in Gaza. .
It also comes as the Biden administration is due to issue a formal verdict, the first of its kind, this week on whether airstrikes in Gaza and restrictions on aid deliveries have violated U.S. and international law.
A decision against Israel would further increase pressure on Biden to stop the flow of weapons and money to Israel’s military, even though it has not been in the same proportion as the Democratic administration has sent to Ukraine.
U.S. officials had declined for days to comment on stopping shipments, while Biden on Tuesday described U.S. support for Israel as “unwavering, even when we disagree.”
“Very disappointing decision”
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, in an interview with Israeli television Channel 12, said the decision to suspend the shipment was “a very disappointing, even frustrating decision.” He suggested the move was due to political pressure on Biden from Congress, protests at American universities and the upcoming election.
Biden has faced pressure from some on the radical left of his party and condemnation from right-wing critics who say the president has watered down his support for an essential ally in the Middle East.
“If we withhold the weapons needed to destroy the enemies of the State of Israel at a time of great danger, we will pay a price,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., raising his voice in anger during an exchange with Austin. “This is obscene. It’s stupid. Give Israel what it needs to fight a war it cannot afford to lose.”
Source: With information from AP
