JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that the United States is withholding weapons and implied that this was slowing down Israel’s offensive in the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, where fighting has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians.
President Joe Biden has delayed the delivery of certain heavy bombs to Israel since May due to concerns about the killing of civilians in Gaza. However, the administration has gone to great lengths to avoid any suggestion that Israeli forces have crossed a red line in the deepening invasion of Rafah, which would trigger a broader ban on arms transfers.
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Netanyahu, in a short video, spoke directly to the camera in English while launching harsh criticisms at Biden for the "bottlenecks" in arms transfers.
"It is inconceivable that in recent months the administration was withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel," said Netanyahu, adding, "Give us the tools and we will finish the job much faster."
Netanyahu did not provide further details on which weapons were being held, and the Israeli army refused to respond to a request for comments. Ophir Falk, Netanyahu's foreign policy advisor, referred questions about the details to the United States government.
Netanyahu also stated that the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, during a recent visit to Israel, said he was working around the clock to end the delays.
However, Blinken said during a press conference on Tuesday at the State Department that the only pause in the arms shipments to Israel was related to those heavy bombs in May.
"As you know, we are still reviewing a shipment that President Biden has talked about regarding 2,000-pound (900-kilo) bombs due to our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah," Blinken said. "That is still under review. But everything else is moving forward as it normally would."
The United States has provided Israel with crucial military and diplomatic support since the war against the Palestinian armed group Hamas began in October. Israel blames Hamas for the deaths of civilians, stating that militants operate among the population.
With the Israeli offensive entering its ninth month, international criticism has been steadily increasing due to the United States' support for Israel's aerial and ground campaign in Gaza. The top court of the United Nations has concluded that there is a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza, an accusation that Israel vehemently denies.
At the same time, months of discussions about a ceasefire have failed to find common ground between Hamas and Israel. Both parties have been reluctant to fully endorse a plan supported by the United States that would return Israeli hostages, pave the way for the end of the war, and begin an effort to rebuild the devastated territory.
The war has killed more than 37,100 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The war has virtually cut off the flow of food, medicine, and other supplies to Palestinians who are facing widespread hunger.
The war began after the Hamas attack on October 7, when militants killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250.