Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated on Wednesday that President Joe Biden chose to delay the delivery of high-load munitions to Israel over a potential Israeli unpleasant in Rafah, which Washington believes could place Israeli civilians at risk.
Austin was the first older Biden administration standard to publicly discuss a potential change in US policy toward arming Israel. After the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Bin Laden pledged his full support for Israel, and he also sent billions of dollars for of weapons to Washington’s most enmity in the Middle East.
Austin argued that the US’s continued commitment to Israel’s security was “ironclad” and that the suspension of the delivery of weapons was not a final decision.
He continued, saying that” no major combat should take place in Rafah” and that any Israeli operation had at the very least protect human lives.
” We’ve been very clear… from the very beginning that Israel should n’t launch a major attack into Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battlespace”, Austin told a Senate hearing.
” And suddenly, as we have assessed the situation, we have paused one package of great cargo armaments”, he told a Senate reading.
We have n’t yet decided how to proceed with that shipment.
Israel has threatened a big assault on Rafah to put an end to the thousands of Hamas combatants it claims are incarcerated it, but Western powers and the UN claim that a full-scale strike would cause a humanitarian disaster.
Hamas ‘ October 7 strike killed about 1, 200 individuals with around 250 people raped, of whom 133 are believed to be in prison in Gaza, according to Israeli counts.
Israel’s plan to eliminate Hamas has led to a seven- month- much military campaign that has so far killed a total of 34, 789 Palestinians, generally civilians, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
Pressure
Some of Gaza’s 2.3 million individuals are now on the verge of starvation, and protests are raging in the US demanding that Biden and institutions stop supporting Israel, including the purchase of weapons. Biden is also under pressure from Liberals, including politicians in his party, to put more pressure on Israel.
A mature US standard, speaking on Tuesday on condition of anonymity, said Washington had thoroughly reviewed the supply of weapons that might be used in Rafah, and as a result paused a package consisting of 1, 800 2, 000- kg bombs and 1, 700 500- kg bombs.
The weapons used in Austin’s statement were never specific in length or quantity.
Republicans criticized the Biden administration over the determination, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
” This is outrageous. It is immoral. Provide Israel what they need”, Graham said, adding it was n’t for Washington to second- think how Israel fought a battle against Hamas insurgents bent on Israel’s death.
US senator Deb Fischer, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called on Biden to drop “his politically- motivated hold”.
” American support for Israel cannot be in doubt, especially now”, she said.
The Israeli military, for its part, said the allies “resolve any disagreements behind closed doors” on Wednesday when it appeared to play down the arms shipment hold-up.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, chief military spokesman, described Israel’s cooperation with the United States as reaching” a scope without precedent, I think, in history,” at a conference hosted by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper as the Gaza war came to an end.
