Topline
President Joe Biden said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that the U.S. will not supply Israel with American weapons if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders an offensive on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, marking a potentially major turning point in the U.S.’ collaboration with Israel in its war against Hamas.
Key Facts
Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett that, if Israel invades Rafah, “I’m not supplying the weapons” for Israel to use in the city.
Biden also acknowledged for the first time that bombs provided by the U.S. have been used to kill civilians in Gaza.
The U.S. will remain committed to providing Israel defensive arms and resources for its Iron Dome defense system, Biden said, noting “we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells” if Israel invades Rafah.
Biden’s remarks follow the U.S.’ decision to pause a weapons shipment to Israel over concerns they could be used against civilians in Rafah.
The shipment pause was confirmed Wednesday by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who said at a Senate subcommittee hearing that the U.S. has been “very clear that Israel shouldn’t launch a major attack in Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battle space.”
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Chief Critics
Israeli officials have expressed “deep frustration” to U.S. officials over the paused shipment and U.S. media briefings on the decision, CNN reported, citing an unnamed source briefed on the matter.
Key Background
Biden has largely supported Israel’s war against Hamas despite pushback from dozens of Democrats who have raised concerns about limited humanitarian aid going into Gaza and called for the shipment of offensive weapons to Israel to be halted. The Israeli Defense Forces said Tuesday it took control of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt following the Israeli dismissal of a cease-fire proposal agreed to by Hamas, which Israel said was not the framework it put forward. The IDF claimed it killed 20 Hamas operatives and discovered multiple tunnels in the process of taking the border crossing.The IDF has vowed to continue its offensive.
Further Reading
Israeli Forces Say They Have Taken Control Of Rafah Border Crossing (Forbes)
