Biden threatens to stop supplying offensive weapons to Israel if it invades Rafah

“Civilians have died in Gaza as a result of these bombs,” he answered when CNN asked him about the suspension last week of the delivery of a shipment of bombs to Israel. “We are not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells that have been used” in Israel’s offensive against Hamas, Biden stated.

This is a turning point in Biden’s position on the Jewish country, since It is the first time that the 81-year-old Democrat has publicly put conditions on US military support for Israel, a key ally in the Middle East.

“I made it clear that if they go to Rafah – they have not gone to Rafah yet – if they go to Rafah, I will not provide them with the weapons that have historically been used to deal with Rafah (…). We are not going to walk away from the security of Israel. “We are moving away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas,” he told CNN.

Asked about the military operation that Israel has launched in Rafah, a town in the south of the Strip where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge, Biden said it did not affect “population centers,” thus implying that it was not a major offensive that required a reaction on their part.

“I have made it clear to ‘Bibi’ and the war cabinet: They are not going to count on our support, if in fact they attack those population centers,” he said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his nickname.

Earlier, Washington had already stated that evaluated the possibility of freezing more weapons supplies to Israel, after suspending a bomb delivery due to the invasion plan of Rafah, a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip where 1.4 million people displaced by Israel’s military operation in the enclave take refuge.

Speaking to a congressional committee, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that last week The shipment of 1,800 907 kg (2,000 lb) bombs and another 1,700 226 kg (500 lb) bombs was frozen.

“We disrupted a shipment of ammunition” to Israel, but have not “made a final decision on how to proceed with that shipment,” Austin said.
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(You may be interested in: Gaza: Israel bombs Rafah in the middle of decisive negotiations for a truce with Hamas)

​”We ​​are currently reviewing some shipments of short-term security assistance in the context of the events unfolding in Rafah,” the Pentagon chief said during his appearance before a Senate subcommittee.
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“We would like no major fighting to occur in Rafah, but our main focus is to make sure we protect civilians,” he added, reiterating the position that the United States has defended for weeks.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller went further and announced that the United States is considering withholding other arms shipments to Israel.
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Miller stated that The United States is very concerned about the plans of
Israel entering Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge during the war. “So we have suspended one short-term aid shipment and are reviewing others,” she said.

(Also: Israel’s military offensive in Rafah could lead to a deadlier phase of the conflict, what is known?)

But the United States maintains a “long-term commitment” to the security of
Israel, he added, citing US help in April to shoot down drones fired from Iran.

The United States is examining “how Israel has conducted its operations in the past and what the impact has been on the civilian population,” Miller reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to enter Rafah as part of his campaign to annihilate Hamas after commandos from this Palestinian Islamist movement carried out attacks in Israel on October 7.

About 40 legislators, who were joined by surprise by the influential former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, just a month ago asked the White House to take this forceful measure against Netanyahu. They did so after an Israeli attack killed seven workers at Spanish chef José Andrés’ NGO World Central Kitchen.

(You can read: Gaza: why is the Rafah crossing important, which borders Egypt and is now controlled by Israel?)
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The United States would be above all concerned about Israel’s use of heavier weapons in densely populated areas. Austin, in fact, did maintain that “it’s about having the right types of weapons for the task at hand.”

“A small diameter bomb, which is a precision weapon, is very useful in a dense, built-up environment, but a 2,000-pound bomb that could cause a lot of collateral damage may not be so useful,” he explained.

Republican Senator Susan Collins reproached him on behalf of his colleagues for the decision: “Pausing or delaying the delivery of weapons to Israel is already a decision, and it is one with which most members of Congress would disagree.”

Later, in a joint letter, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said: They questioned Biden about the measure: “These pauses in critical arms shipments call into question that his commitment to Israel’s security will remain ironclad.”

“The American people deserve to understand the nature, timing and scope of these reviews,” they added.

(Continue reading: Israel’s entry into Rafah raises concern in the international community)

Throughout the day, the White House had refused to comment on the brake on the shipment of weapons and His spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, limited himself to repeating that the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security is “iron.”

All this occurred on the same day that the US Government, through the State Department, had to make public a report with its conclusion on whether or not Israel has violated international humanitarian law in Gaza, a document that was to serve to evaluate future arms shipments.

However, the State Department missed the deadline since, according to Miller, they have not yet ready the document, which they have been working on for months, and its publication has been postponed without a new date.