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Biden Threatens to Halt Weapons Supplies to Israel Over Potential Rafah Invasion

Biden Threatens to Halt Weapons Supplies to Israel Over Potential Rafah Invasion

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The Biden administration has paused the delivery of thousands of large bombs to Israel, citing concerns over the potential use of these weapons in a planned offensive against Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city. The decision was made after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that his government would go ahead with the assault despite US warnings. According to reports, the shipment consisted of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, which were paused last week. This is the first time since the October 7 Hamas-led attack that the Biden administration has used its power to curtail arms supplies as a means of influencing Israel's conduct in the conflict. President Joe Biden himself has spoken out against the potential use of these weapons, stating that if Israel goes into Rafah, "we're not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used." He also acknowledged that US weapons have been used by Israel to kill civilians in Gaza, saying "civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs."

Deb Fischer
US Senate
1. American support for Israel cannot be in doubt, especially now.
Daniel Hagari
Israel Defense Forces
1. The army has munitions for the missions it plans, and for the missions in Rafah, too -- we have what we need.
Isaac Herzog
Israeli Government
1. Even when there are disagreements and moments of disappointment between friends and allies, there is a way to clarify the disputes.
Bezalel Smotrich
Religious Zionist Party
1. We must continue the war until Hamas is totally eliminated and our hostages are back home. This involves conquering Rafah completely and the sooner the better.
Joe Biden
Democratic Party
1. The United States provides Israel with a steel dome — it's not only military support; it's strategic and political; it's at the United Nations, the international court, and so on.
2. I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven't gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem.
3. We're not walking away from Israel's security. We're walking away from Israel's ability to wage war in those areas.
4. Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers.
5. I've made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet: They're not going to get our support, if in fact they go on these population centers.
6. They haven't gone into the population centres. What they did is right on the border. And it's causing problems with, right now, in terms of – with Egypt, which I've worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help.
Lindsay Graham
Republican Party
1. If we stop weapons necessary to destroy the enemies of the state of Israel at a time of great peril, we will pay a price.
2. This is obscene. It is absurd. Give Israel what they need to fight the war they can't afford to lose.
John Kirby
White House National Security Council
1. Burns is departing the region as previously scheduled, but interlocutors from other delegations are still in discussions in Cairo, so those talks are still going on.
2. An enduring defeat of Hamas certainly remains the Israeli goal, and we share that goal with them.
3. We could also in fact help them target the leaders, including Mr Sinwar, which we are frankly doing with the Israelis on an ongoing basis.
Chuck Freilich
1. The administration has been walking a tightrope between its very strong support for Israel and domestic pressure.
2. It's pent-up frustration on Biden's part, which eventually broke.

Biden Threatens to Halt Weapons Supplies to Israel Over Potential Rafah Invasion

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