Last week, the administration of US President Joe Biden stopped a shipment of American-made ammunition, which was destined for the Israeli army, for the first time since the Hamas attack on Israel last October 7, according to the American website Axios.
Two Israeli officials told the site that the move raised serious concerns within the Israeli government, and made officials interested in understanding why the shipment was being held.
The Biden administration is facing criticism from Americans who oppose what they see as support for Israel, while multiple American universities are witnessing protests in support of the Palestinians.
Axios noted that last February, the Biden administration asked Israel to provide guarantees that American weapons would be used in accordance with international law, and noted that Israel provided guarantees in March.
The White House did not comment on the information related to stopping the arms shipment. The Pentagon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office also did not respond to the site’s requests for comment.
The Biden administration showed its concern over Israel’s intention to carry out a ground operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, as more than a million Palestinians were displaced there.
US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, visited Israel last Wednesday and held a “difficult” conversation with Netanyahu regarding a possible Israeli operation in Rafah, two sources familiar with the meeting told the website.
Blinken told Netanyahu during their meeting that a “major military operation” in Rafah would lead the United States to publicly oppose it, and would negatively affect American-Israeli relations.
A day later, White House spokesman John Kirby said that Israeli leaders realize that President Biden is “sincere” when he talks about the possibility of changes in US policy regarding the Gaza war. “If Israeli leaders go ahead with a ground operation in Rafah, no takes refugees into account.
Israel launched a military operation in retaliation to Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. Israel is accused of killing civilians including thousands of children and women in Gaza. Israeli armed forces also target several journalists, doctors, health professionals, and aid workers.
Health officials in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas controls, said that more than 34,600 Palestinians were killed in the seven-month-long Israeli attack on the Strip.
