President Joe Biden acknowledged on Wednesday that U.S. bombs were being used to kill Palestinian civilians and warned that the United States would withhold certain weapons if Israel persists in threatening an attack in southern Gaza.
Speaking in his strongest terms yet about the seven-month war, Biden said the United States would still ensure Israel’s security, including the Iron Dome missile defense system and Israel’s “ability to respond to attacks,” such as Attacks by Iran in 2017.
But he said he would block the delivery of weapons that could be fired into the densely populated area of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge.
The president had halted shipments of 3,500 bombs last week over concerns they could be used in a major attack on Rafah – the first time Biden has used U.S. weapons to try to exert influence since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 .
On Wednesday, he said he would also block shipments of artillery shells.
“If they go into Rafah, I’m not going to provide the weapons that have historically been used against Rafah, against the cities, against this problem,” Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett express.
He added: “But this is wrong. We will not – we will not provide weapons and shells that have been used.
Asked about the use of 2,000-pound U.S. bombs to kill civilians in Gaza, Biden said: “There are civilians being killed in Gaza because of these bombs and other ways of attacking population centers.”
Biden’s comments highlighted growing differences between the United States and its closest Middle East allies over the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 people and triggered a humanitarian crisis. The United States is by far Israel’s largest arms supplier, and the Biden administration plans to submit a report to Congress this week assessing whether it trusts Israel’s assurances that it uses U.S. weapons in compliance with U.S. and international law.
Biden earlier rejected calls for aid to Israel. He remains an unwavering supporter of Israel’s right to self-defense, despite his strong opposition to the invasion of Rafah and his dismay at what he once described as Israel’s “indiscriminate bombing.”
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the U.S. warning, saying Israel would continue to root out Hamas even if it had to go it alone.
Israel’s war cabinet voted unanimously this week to go ahead with the attack on Rafah, and Israeli forces warned more than 100,000 civilians to evacuate as they began so-called “targeted strikes” against Hamas.
U.S. officials said this week that Israel has said its operations in Rafah so far have been “limited” and “aimed at cutting off Hamas’s ability to smuggle weapons into Gaza,” but still expressed concern about an escalation.
Biden said he did not believe Israel’s actions in Rafah so far amounted to a full-scale invasion because they had not yet attacked “population centers.”
But he said he believed they were “right on the border,” adding that they were causing problems for key allies such as Egypt, which has been integral to ceasefire negotiations and opening humanitarian aid crossings.
Biden said he had made clear to Netanyahu and his war cabinet that they would not receive support if they pushed forward in densely populated areas.
“We are not giving up Israel’s security, but we are giving up Israel’s ability to wage war in these areas,” he said.
Biden was also asked about the Gaza protests that have erupted on college campuses in recent weeks, specifically chants calling him “Genocide Joe.”
Asked if he heard the message from these young Americans, Mr. Biden said:
“Of course, I heard the news.”
