Following President Joe Biden’s approval of a bill permitting the continued flow of weapons to Israel, the Biden administration has intervened to block certain weapon deliveries. Recently, a shipment of bombs destined for Israel was put on hold by the administration to prevent potential attacks on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where Israel suspects the remaining significant Hamas forces are concentrated. Additional shipments have also been delayed for a period of two weeks.
The official said it was clear Israel would defy the Biden administration, “We began to carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah.”
“As a result of that review, we have paused one shipment of weapons last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000-lb bombs and 1,700 500-lb bombs,” the official said.
This is outrageous.
President Biden is caving to Hamas sympathizers and abandoning our allies in Israel.
The Biden administration must lift every hold on ammunition and weapons that Israel needs and deserves to defend itself from vicious terrorists. https://t.co/BwrhToZnHl
— Rep. Randy Feenstra (@RepFeenstra) May 7, 2024
“We are especially focused on the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza. We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment,” the official said.
The report highlighted that a portion of the weapons intercepted would transform non-precision-guided bombs into munitions capable of accurate targeting. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, affirmed the unwavering dedication of the administration towards Israel.
In speaking about the stalled shipment, she said, “Two things could be true, in the sense of having those conversations, tough, direct conversations with our counterparts in Israel … in making sure citizens’ lives are protected … and getting that commitment.”
The postponements occurred for the first time following Israel’s retaliation to the terrorist assault by Hamas on October 7th, which led to the invasion of Gaza. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, mentioned that any discrepancies between the U.S. and Israel would be settled in private discussions, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Focusing on the optimistic aspects, he highlighted that the support from America towards Israel has reached an unparalleled level, unprecedented in Israel’s past. He avoided making any conclusive statements regarding a potential Israeli strike on Rafah.
“We will deal with Rafah in a way that is right for us,” Hagari said, adding, “even after we deal with Rafah, there will be terrorism. Hamas will move north and try to regroup, even in the coming days. Wherever Hamas returns to, both in the north and in the center of the Strip, we will return to action.”
So the Biden administration is withholding the weapons Israel needs in order to minimize casualties, forcing Israel to use non-precise weapons so that the Biden administration can then accuse Israel of killing civilians.
If this is true, we are talking a whole deeper level of… https://t.co/q7Aw4npNyQ
— Avi Abelow (@aviabelow) May 6, 2024
