Report: White House Suspends Weapons Transfers to Israel
The report comes as Israel reiterates its plans to enter Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip.
By David Rosenberg
The Biden administration has frozen a planned arms shipment to Israel, according to a report Sunday, raising concerns among Israeli leaders of a major shift in American policy vis-a-vis the Jewish state.
Two Israeli officials told Axios and Walla that the Biden White House last week froze a weapons shipment to Israel, which includes ammunition and other American-made arms.
If confirmed, this marks the first time the U.S. has suspended arms shipments to Israel since Hamas’ October 7th invasion of the Jewish state.
According to the report, the White House, Pentagon, and State Department all declined to comment, as did the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
The report comes as Israel reiterates its plans to enter Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip, despite staunch opposition from the Biden White House, which claims Israel does not yet have an actionable plan to protect Gaza civilians.
Over one million Gazans now reside in and around Rafah, more than four times the city’s pre-war population.
Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
During his visit, Blinken conveyed to Israeli leaders the White House’s continued opposition to the planned Rafah operation as it is currently drafted, including a conversation with Netanyahu which two sources described as “tough.”
Blinken warned Netanyahu that a “major military operation” in Rafah would jeopardize Israel’s relations with the U.S.
On Sunday, Netanyahu issued a statement marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in which he vowed Israel would “stand alone” if necessary.
“In the terrible Holocaust, there were great world leaders who stood by idly; therefore, the first lesson of the Holocaust is: If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us. And if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone,” he said.
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