Biden says U.S. will not provide Israel with weapons to attack Rafah, warns allies | Wilnesh News

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he would not provide Israel with assault weapons that could be used to launch attacks. All-out attack on Rafa – Hamas’ last major stronghold in Gaza – amid concerns for the welfare of the more than 1 million civilians who have taken refuge there.

Biden said in an interview with CNN that the United States remains committed to Israel’s defense and will provide Iron Dome rocket interceptors and other defense weapons, but if Israel enters Rafah, “we will not provide weapons and artillery shells” used.

The United States has historically provided substantial military assistance to Israel. The situation further intensified after Hamas launched an attack on October 7 that killed about 1,200 Israelis and caused about 250 people to be captured by the militants. Biden’s comments and his decision last week to suspend the delivery of heavy bombs to Israel are the most high-profile manifestations of growing tensions between his administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden said Israel needs to do more to protect the lives of civilians in Gaza.

The shipment is expected to include 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombs, according to a senior U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The focus in the United States is on larger explosives and how to use them in densely populated urban areas.

“These bombs and other ways of attacking population centers are killing civilians in Gaza,” Biden told CNN. “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — and they haven’t gone into Rafah — if they go into Rafah “I will not provide the weapons that have been used historically against Rafa and against the city to solve this problem.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the weapons delay earlier Wednesday, telling the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee that the United States had suspended shipments of “a shipment of high-payload munitions.”

“We will continue to take necessary actions to ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself,” Austin said. “But that being said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance in light of the events in Rafah.”

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is Since the first official judgment will be issued This week on whether Restrictions on air strikes and aid deliveries to Gaza Violation of international and U.S. laws designed to spare civilians from the worst horrors of war.Decisions against Israel will further intensify Pressure on Biden Stem the flow of weapons and funds to the Israeli military.

Biden signed the moratorium in an order conveyed to the Pentagon last week, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment on the matter. The White House National Security Council sought to keep the decision from public view for several days until the scope of Israel’s stepped-up military operations in Rafah is better understood and until Biden is able to deliver a long-planned speech on Tuesday to mark Holocaust remembrance. day.

The Biden administration in April began reviewing future military aid transfers as Netanyahu’s government appeared closer to invading Rafah despite months of White House opposition. The decision to suspend shipments was made last week and no final decision has been made on whether to continue shipments later, the official said.

U.S. officials have declined to comment for days on the halted transfers, and Biden on Tuesday said U.S. support for Israel was “That’s true even when we disagree.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 television news that the decision to suspend shipments was “a very disappointing decision, even frustrating.” He said the move stemmed from political pressure on Biden in Congress, U.S. campus protests and the upcoming election.

The decision also drew sharp condemnation from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said they only learned about the holdup on military aid from media reports, despite assurances from the Biden administration that it would not Such a pause occurs.Republicans call on Biden in statement letter Quickly end the blockade, saying it “risks empowering Israel’s enemies” and inform lawmakers of the nature of the policy review.

Biden faces pressure from some on the left and condemnation from critics on the right who say he has tempered support for key allies in the Middle East.

“If we stop using the weapons necessary to destroy the enemies of the State of Israel in times of great danger, we will pay a price,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who angrily raised the bar in an exchange with Austin. sound. “This is obscene. This is ridiculous. Give Israel what they need to fight a war they cannot afford to lose.”

Biden ally Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said in a statement that a moratorium on the use of large bombs must be “the first step.”

“Our impact is clear,” Sanders said. “For years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. We can no longer be complicit in Netanyahu’s horrific war against the Palestinian people.”

Austin, meanwhile, told lawmakers that “the key is to have the right weapon for the task at hand.”

“The small diameter bomb is a precision weapon that is very useful in dense built environments,” he said, “but may not cause as much collateral damage as a 2,000-pound bomb.” He said the United States would like to see Israel adopt “more precise ” action.

Israeli forces seized control of the area on Tuesday Important Rafah crossing point in Gaza The White House describes it as Limited operation That has not stopped Israel from fully invading the city, which Biden has repeatedly warned against on humanitarian grounds, most recently in a call with Netanyahu on Monday.

Israel has ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from the city. Israeli forces also carried out so-called “targeted strikes” in eastern Rafah and seized the Rafah crossing, an important passage for the flow of humanitarian aid on the Gaza-Egypt border.

Privately, concerns are growing within the White House about what happened in Rafah, but administration officials have stressed publicly that they believe the actions were not in defiance of Biden’s warnings about large-scale operations in the city.

The State Department is separately considering whether to approve continued transfers to Israel of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits that attach precision guidance systems to bombs, but the review is not related to the upcoming shipment.

Itamar Yar, former deputy chairman of Israel’s National Security Council, said the U.S. move was largely symbolic but a sign of trouble that could become a bigger problem if it continues.

“This is not some kind of embargo on U.S. support for U.S. ammunition, but I think it is some kind of diplomatic message to Mr. Netanyahu that he needs to take U.S. interests into account more than he has in the past few months,” He said. “At least for now it doesn’t affect Israel’s capabilities, but it’s a signal of sorts, ‘be careful’.”

In its long war with the Islamic State militant group, the United States has cautiously dropped bombs weighing up to 2,000 pounds. In contrast, Israel used bombs frequently during its seven-month war in Gaza. Experts say the use of such weapons is partly responsible for the heavy casualties among Palestinians, which have exceeded 34,000 according to the Hamas Health Ministry, although the ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians.

U.S.-Israel relations have remained close during both Democratic and Republican administrations. But there have been other moments of serious tension since Israel’s founding, when U.S. leaders threatened to withhold aid in an attempt to undermine Israel’s leadership.

During the 1957 Suez Crisis, President Eisenhower used the threat of sanctions to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops from the Sinai Peninsula. Ronald Reagan delayed the delivery of F16 fighter jets to Israel as violence escalated in the Middle East. President George H.W. Bush held $10 billion in loan guarantees to force Israel to halt settlement activity in the occupied territories.