Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on a state that the Biden presidency has refuted and highlighted the growing tensions between the two friends when he told his Cabinet on Sunday that there had been a “dramatic cut” in US arms deliveries for Israel‘s war efforts in Gaza.
Without naming which weapons, Netanyahu told his case that the cut took place four months ago, citing the fact that” some items occasionally arrived but the weapons at large remained behind.”
The conflict highlights how fiercely entrenched are Israel and Washington in the wake of the conflict in Gaza, particularly in relation to Israeli military actions and the damage to human lifestyle there. Due to those concerns, President Joe Biden has been putting off specific big bomb deliveries since May, but his administration retaliated last week against Netanyahu’s assertion that additional shipments had been impacted as well.
After months of fruitless appeals to American authorities to speed up sales, Netanyahu told the Cabinet that he was finally ordered to launch a movie in English. He claimed that a solution appeared near.
” In light of what I have heard over the past evening, I hope and believe that this problem may get solved soon”, he said, without elaborating.
Netanyahu’s film, which was released last year, sparked a row among Israeli critics and received rejection and confusion from White House officials. White House countrywide surveillance spokesman John Kirby said the US was “perplexed” by Netanyahu’s says. We usually do not know what he’s talking about, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
His remarks came shortly after Yoav Gallant, the Jewish defence minister, met with top officials in Washington. Gallant’s office stated in a statement that he would examine “maintaining Israel’s subjective edge in the region,” but it would not make any mention of the weapons problem.
The conflict in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas ‘ Oct. 7 assault on southwestern Israel, has tested the US- Israel connection like never before. The US has become increasingly concerned about the rising Israeli death toll and the humanitarian crises brought on by the conflict, despite the US’s unwavering support for Israel’s efforts to free captives from Gaza and defeat Hamas.
Liberal Democrats have been putting pressure on Biden, and he has heightened his warnings to Netanyahu regarding Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. The leadership has avoided making any suggestion that Israel’s expanding influence on the southern Gaza town has crossed a dark line after threating to establish a more severe restrictions on arms transfers in response to an abuse on Rafah.
Biden faces criticism on the right, who claim he has tempered his support for a key East ally in an election year.
For Netanyahu, the growing light with the US even poses social risks and opportunities. His critics see the common spats as a result of a leader’s desire to destroy Israel’s reputation for political gain and ruin essential relationships.
The split gives the long-serving head a chance to demonstrate to his supporters that he is putting Israel’s interests before the US.
