JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Tuesday that the United States is withholding weapons and suggested this would slow Israel’s offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where fighting has worsened an already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians.
President Joe Biden has delayed deliveries of certain heavy bombs since May over concerns about Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza. Yet the government has gone to great lengths to avoid any suggestion that Israeli forces have crossed a red line in the deepening invasion of Rafah, which would lead to an even more sweeping ban on arms transfers.
Netanyahu spoke directly to the camera in English in a short video as he sharply criticized Biden over “bottlenecks” in arms transfers.
“It is unthinkable that the government has withheld weapons and ammunition from Israel in recent months,” Netanyahu said, adding: “Give us the resources and we will get the job done a lot faster.”
Netanyahu also claimed the US Secretary of State position Anthony Blinkensaid during a recent visit to Israel that he was working around the clock to end the delays.
However, Blinken said on Tuesday that the only pause was related to the heavy bombs from May.
“As you know, we continue to review one shipment that President Biden has discussed regarding 2,000-pound bombs due to our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah,” Blinken said at a State Department news conference. . “That is still being investigated. But everything else moves as it normally would.”
Netanyahu did not elaborate on which weapons were withheld, and the Israeli military declined to respond to a request for comment. Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser, deferred questions about details to the US government.
Responding to Netanyahu’s claim, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday: “We generally don’t know what he’s talking about. We just don’t do it.”
She added that the US is having “constructive discussions” with Israel over the paused shipment of heavy bombs and that this is the only transfer being delayed.
Two top Democrats in Congress this week cleared the way for a $15 billion sale of F-15s to Israel after some delays as a lawmaker sought answers from the Biden administration over Israel’s current use of American weapons in the war in Gaza. .
As Israel’s war against Hamas enters its ninth month, international criticism is growing of US military and diplomatic support for Israel’s campaign of systematic destruction in Gaza, resulting in enormous costs in civilian casualties.
The United Nations’ highest court has concluded that there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza – a charge Israel strongly denies. Israel blames Hamas for the civilian deaths and says militants operate among the population.
Both Netanyahu and Biden are balancing their own domestic political problems against the explosive situation in the Middle East, and the embattled Israeli leader has become increasingly resistant to Biden’s public charm offensives and private pleas.
Experts say Netanyahu’s message – delivered only in English – is likely aimed at boosting US arms support and does not appear to indicate shortages on the ground.
“I’m not worried,” said Itamar Yaar, former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council and leader of a group of former senior security officials. He thinks Netanyahu “wants to make it difficult for the Biden administration to delay arms deliveries in the future.”
Aviv Bushinsky, a former Netanyahu adviser, suggested that the prime minister’s office is working to set the agenda for Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s meetings in the US next week, while Netanyahu – rather than Gallant – gets the credit to claim for the release of the shipment of bombs. The video also includes a speech Netanyahu will give to Congress in about a week, he said.
“It’s a very bellicose style of diplomacy, but he’s in a win-win situation,” Bushinsky said. “He has nothing to lose at this point – this benefits him in all dimensions, internally and publicly.”
Netanyahu dissolved his war cabinet on Monday, a move that consolidates his influence on the war and likely reduces the chances of a ceasefire in the short term. Critics accuse him of delaying the end of the war because this would mean an investigation into the government’s failure on October 7 and increase the chance of new elections when the prime minister’s popularity is low. Netanyahu denies the accusations and says he is determined to destroy Hamas’ military and government capabilities — however long that takes.
Months of ceasefire talks have failed to find common ground between Hamas and Israeli leaders. Both Israel and Hamas are reluctant to fully endorse a US-backed plan that would return hostages, pave the way for an end to the war and begin rebuilding the decimated area.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 37,100 people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which makes no distinction between fighters and civilians in its count. The war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians, who are facing widespread hunger.
Israel launched the war after Hamas’s attack on October 7, in which militants swept into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping about 250.
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Callister reported from New York. AP diplomatic writer Matthew Lee contributed from Washington.
