Washington: On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said he will not give offensive arms that could be used to attack Rafa – Hamas’ last major sanctuary in Gaza, and is where more than one million people have sought protection there in fear of their lives.
According to Mr. Biden interviewed on CNN, the United States will continue to honor its commitment of defending Israel by providing Iron Dome rocket interceptors and other defense weapons as well but “If they enter Rafah, we will not issue weapons with ammunition” for using.
The US has always been giving substantial military aid to Israel. His remarks come amid growing tensions between his administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following a series of moves by Washington including a decision last week to halt supply of heavy bombs to Israel. For Mr. Biden, Israel should protect civilians in Gaza better.
A senior U.S. government official who refused to be identified revealed that the consignment would incorporate 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs as well as 1,700 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombs. The talks in the US are about bigger bombs and how best to use them in crowded cities.
“The few people being killed in Gaza right now are largely due to these weaponries and others that they’ve been using on areas with many populations,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday morning during a live interview from Camp David. “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah —and they haven’t gone into Rafah— If they go into Rafah I’m not going to provide the weapons which historically have been used against Rafah or against the city or against this problem.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informed the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee earlier today that deliveries had stopped for “a shipment of high-payload munitions.”
“We will do what is necessary so that Israel has its capacity for self-defense,” Austin stated at the hearing. “However, we are also in the process of reviewing some near-term security assistance with respect to what’s happened in Rafah.”
In addition, Biden administration is expected to make its first official ruling this week on whether the airstrikes carried out in Gaza strip and restrictions on the delivery of aid violate international and US laws barring any act that might cause civilians to suffer from terrible crimes. Targeting at Israel would further intensify demands for Biden to restrict military supplies and funds.
According to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment on the matter, Biden signed the moratorium in an order conveyed to the Pentagon last week. The National Security Council at the White House held back from publicity about a secret decision taken for several days until it could be determined how far Israel’s stepped-up war plans against Rafan have gone and until Biden can give his planned highly-anticipated speech on Tuesday which will mark Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Biden administration began assessing future military aid transfers as Netanyahu’s government looked more likely to invade Rafah despite Obama’s warnings over many months during April-May this year when last week it was decided that all shipments would be halted although no final conclusion has been reached yet on whether sending them should resume later, according to the official.
US officials have declined comment for days regarding discontinued transfers while Biden declared American backing for Israeli is “ironclad” even when they differ over it.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, said in an interview with Israeli television channel 12 news that it was “a very disappointing decision, even a frustrating one.” He attributed this to political pressures on Biden from congress, protests in US campuses and the upcoming elections.
The move also drew fierce criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell who noted they had only heard about the holdup in military aid through media despite assurances by Biden administration that such a break would not happen. Republicans wrote a letter urging Biden to end the blockade promptly stating that it “risks embodying Israel’s enemies” and notifying legislators of policy review nature.
Biden was under pressure from some on the left and critics on the right who accused him of diluting support for key allies in the Middle East.
“We will pay a price if we don’t use weapons to destroy those enemies of State of Israel at times when there is great danger,” exclaimed Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) angrily. “It’s indecent. It’s absurd. We are giving to Israel what she needs to wage a war she can’t afford to lose.”
Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont who is supportive of Biden, claimed that putting large bombs on hold should be “the first step” in his statement.
“It’s clear our influence,” Sanders noted adding that America has given tens of billions of dollars as military aid to Israel over several decades. We cannot keep being part of Netanyahu’s horrific war against Palestinians.
Meanwhile Austin informed lawmakers ‘it’s about having exact weapon for task at hand’.
“A small diameter bomb is a precision weapon useful in congested built environment but may not cause as much collateral damage as this 2,000 pound bomb”, said he asserting that US would like Israel start taking actions “more precise”.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces took control over Gaza strip’s main crossing point Rafah which according to the White House was a limited operation that would not prevent Israel from launching an all-out invasion of the city. It is on Monday.
100,000 Palestinians have been ordered out of the city by Israel. In addition, Israeli troops reportedly carried out targeted strikes in eastern Rafah and captured the Rafah crossing point which serves as a major route for humanitarian aid through the Gaza-Egypt border.
Although privately concerns are growing within the White House about what happened in Rafah, administration officials have publicly insisted that they did not ignore Biden’s warnings about large-scale operations in the city.
Meanwhile, the State Department is reviewing whether to continue transferring Joint Direct Attack Munition kits to Israel that equip bombs with precision guidance systems but this has nothing to do with forthcoming shipping.
According to Itamar Yar who previously served as Deputy Chairman of Israel’s National Security Council but now lives in Berlin, Germany said that America’s step was largely symbolic however it indicated trouble that could get worse if it goes further.
He said it is not some kind of banning US support for US ammo; however, I think it was a way of sending diplomatic message to Mr. Netanyahu that he should be more careful about American interests than how he has been in the previous few months.
United States has in its long fight against ISIS carefully dropped bombs weighing up to 2000 pounds. On the other hand, Israel used bombs extensively during her seven month war with Gaza. The use of such weapons, experts argue is partly responsible for the high number of casualties among Palestinians which have risen to over 34,000 according to Hamas Health Ministry (but this does not indicate the difference between militants and civilians).
Democratic and Republican administrations have had cold U.S-Israel relations since establishment of Israel but there have been other instances of severe strain on them. There were also times after Israel’s birth when American leaders threatened to withdraw their assistance in order to undermine Israeli leadership.
President Eisenhower employed threats of sanctions during the Suez Crisis of 1957 which helped in making Israel withdraw troops from Sinai Peninsula. Owing to escalating violence in Middle East Ronald Reagan delayed delivery of F16 fighter jets bound for Israel. In order for Israel to stop settlement activities in occupied territories, President George H.W Bush held $10 billion loan guarantees.
