Some of Israel’s most senior far-right politicians lashed out Thursday at President Biden after he warned the White House could withhold more weapons shipments to the Israeli military if it launches a major military ground assault on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.
Israel’s ultra-nationalist, firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a short message on social media suggesting, with a heart emoji, that the militant group Hamas, which Israel has been at war with for seven devastating months in Gaza, loved Mr. Biden for his threat to withhold the weapons.
BASELESS, IRRESPONSIBLE AND INSULTING STATEMENTS
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, considered a more moderate politician, who is not a member of Netanyahu’s far-right coalition government, appeared to chastise his more extreme colleagues on Thursday. Speaking at an event to mark the allies’ victory in Europe over Nazi Germany during World War II, Herzog lauded Israel’s “greatest ally the United States of America,” thanking Mr. Biden by name for his support “from the first day of the war.”
“Even when there are disagreements and moments of disappointment between friends and allies, there is a way to clarify the disputes and it is beholden upon all of us to avoid baseless, irresponsible and insulting statements and tweets that harm the national security and the interests of the State of Israel,” Herzog added.
Speaking Wednesday to CNN, Mr. Biden said it would be “just wrong” if U.S.-supplied weapons were used in attacks that led to mass civilian deaths in a full-scale Rafah ground offensive. If Israel does go ahead with such an operation, he said the U.S. was “not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used” for it.
U.S. officials have confirmed that the Biden administration paused a weapons shipment to Israel last week — of 1,800 one-ton bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs — over concern that the Israel Defense Forces would drop them on Rafah.
The southern Gazan city is one of the most densely-inhabited places on the planet, with an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians having sought shelter there from across the decimated territory.
Some U.S. lawmakers and foreign leaders, the United Nations, human rights and activist groups, and other parties have voiced growing concern about the scale of Israel’s war to eliminate Hamas. They have been especially critical of its heavy bombing of the Gaza Strip, which has reportedly killed tens of thousands Palestinians—mostly civilians.
Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since its founding in 1948, receiving over $320 billion in US taxpayers money (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance . That aid has come under heightened scrutiny amid Israel’s months long war to eliminate Hamas.
The two countries do not have a mutual defense pact, as the United States has with allies such as Japan and fellow members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). However, Israel is among a short list of “major non-NATO allies” and has privileged access to the most advanced U.S. military platforms and technologies.
The United States has provisionally agreed (via a memorandum of understanding) to provide Israel with nearly $4 billion a year through 2028, and U.S. lawmakers are considering billions of dollars in supplementary funding for Israel amid its war with Hamas.
In addition the U.S. Senate Passed a bill in April Granting Israel another $14 Billion in aid.
News Agencies
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