President Joe Biden last week suspended arms shipments to Israel to prevent U.S.-made weapons from being used in a long-threatened attack on the city of Rafah, administration officials said late Tuesday, in a sign of a growing rift between Washington and Jerusalem. conduct.
Officials said the president had withheld 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs that he feared could be dropped on Rafah, where more than 1 million Gazans have taken refuge. The government is reviewing whether to block future transfers, including guidance kits that convert so-called dumb bombs into precision-guided munitions.
The decision to delay the delivery of 3,500 bombs is the first time since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terror attacks that Biden has used his authority to cut arms as a tool to influence Israel’s attitude toward the ensuing war. Some of Biden’s Democratic allies in Congress have been urging him for weeks to limit or halt weapons shipments to Israel, but he has resisted doing so until now because of his strong support for efforts to destroy Hamas.
Israeli officials disclosed the arms suspension to Axios earlier this week, but U.S. officials declined to confirm it at a briefing or privately until Tuesday evening. The fact that they eventually did so is a clear sign of the growing frustration among government officials that their Israeli counterparts had ignored warnings that a major U.S. operation in Rafah could result in massive civilian casualties. Confirmation of the weapons suspension came just hours after Israel sent tanks to the southern city of Gaza.
A U.S. official said the administration began reviewing the weapons shipments last month, when it became clear Israel was making a decision on Operation Rafah. Biden’s initial position was that Israel should not attack Rafah without an effective plan to reduce civilian casualties, but in recent weeks the White House has increasingly signaled that it believed such a plan was simply not possible.
Israel has not yet made clear whether an attack on Rafah is imminent, but actions over the past few days appear to suggest it is moving in that direction. After Hamas rockets killed four Israeli soldiers over the weekend, the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of 110,000 civilians from Rafah and launched air strikes on targets in the city’s border areas.
Israel said Tuesday’s tank entry into Rafah and capture of the city’s border crossing with Egypt was a limited operation aimed at eliminating Hamas fighters and infrastructure linked to rocket attacks. These actions do not appear to be a precursor to the larger attacks that Israel has promised. But the evacuation order and limited military action appear to be aimed at putting pressure on Hamas as negotiators meet in Cairo to discuss a possible ceasefire.
Earlier on Tuesday, Biden made no mention of his decision to withhold the bomb but reiterated his support for Israel when he spoke at a Holocaust commemoration ceremony at the Capitol. “Even when we disagree, my commitment to the security of the Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is unwavering,” he said.
The government has not stopped supplying all weapons to Israel and has yet to make a final decision on what to do with the bombs seized last week. In fact, officials said the government had just approved the latest tranche of aid, worth $827 million in arms and equipment. Officials say the administration intends to send “every dollar” that Congress just appropriated.
But they said they were particularly concerned about the damage a 2,000-pound bomb could cause in a densely populated urban area like Rafah, where large numbers of displaced civilians live. They are still deciding whether to send Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits.
Biden administration officials on Tuesday seemed particularly uneasy about Israel’s occupation of the Gaza side of Rafah’s border with Egypt, which has hampered efforts to deliver humanitarian aid. The move comes as U.S. officials work to negotiate a deal to secure the release of some hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a temporary ceasefire.
The seizure and closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing, the only two main entry points for food, medicine and other supplies in the south, prompted international agencies to issue immediate warnings that Gaza’s already severe humanitarian crisis could quickly escalate deterioration. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that closing the crossing was “unacceptable.”
Tensions have grown between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months. In a conference call a month ago, Biden first threatened to reconsider U.S. support for the war if Netanyahu did not change course. Although Biden did not explicitly say during the call that he would limit or cut off weapons, it was an implicit possibility.
The White House has since praised Israel for responding to the president’s request and taking additional steps to facilitate humanitarian aid. But disagreements over a possible Rafah operation remain unresolved. Israeli officials came to Washington to outline their attack plans, but did not fully address U.S. officials’ concerns about bloody attacks on civilians.
Government officials have told their Israeli counterparts that they cannot repeat the practices used in northern Gaza, which resulted in heavy casualties and destroyed much of the territory. According to Gaza authorities, more than 34,000 people, including combatants and civilians, have been killed in the seven-month war.
Israel relies heavily on the United States to arm its military, especially anti-aircraft batteries like those used with U.S. forces, which nearly shot down more than 300 missiles and drones that Iran fired at it last month. The successful defense underscores how important U.S. help is to Israel’s security.
Government officials have long made clear they will not discontinue defensive weapons. But last week’s moratorium on the bombs comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to submit a report to Congress this week assessing whether Israel used U.S. weapons in compliance with U.S. and international law.
The highly anticipated report is likely to spark a heated debate over U.S. responsibility for the war against Israel that has already sparked widespread protests on college campuses. If Israel is found to have violated the law, Biden will face greater pressure to further restrict weapons deliveries, which is sure to intensify the protests and draw further complaints from congressional Democrats if Israel is found to have legally waged war.
