Joe Biden halted arms shipments to Israel to protest the Rafah operation. Of course, the Biden crew is keeping their mouths shut, but the president has been vocal about his opposition to Israel’s operation in Rafah, which is currently underway. It’s the last bastion for Hamas, and Israel is going to take it despite concerns from Biden officials regarding civilian casualties (via Axios):
WASHINGTON (AP) — US paused shipment of bombs to Israel to signal opposition to Rafah invasion, senior administration official says.
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) May 8, 2024
The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military.
The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said.
President Biden is facing sharp criticism among Americans who oppose his support of Israel.
The administration in February asked Israel to provide assurances that
U.S.-made weapons were being used by Israel Defense Forces in Gaza in accordance with international law. Israel provided a signed letter of assurances in March.
State of play: The Israeli officials said the ammunition shipment to Israel was stopped last week.
The White House declined to comment.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration bungled a last-minute ceasefire agreement with Hamas, allegedly never informing Israeli counterparts of the proposed deal until Hamas jumped the gun to announce it. It was then roundly rejected by Israel, which later executed its operation in Rafah. To add more intrigue, the Biden administration allegedly tried to hide this development from Congress (via Free Beacon):
The Biden administration hid information about its decision to pause U.S. arms sales to Israel from Congress, sparking a probe led by two GOP senators, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.
Senators Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) and Ted Budd (R., N.C.), in a letter sent Monday evening to the White House, are asking the administration to immediately inform Congress about what types of ammunition are being withheld from Israel and why. The pause in these ammo shipments was approved last week, but only became publicly known over the weekend when the decision was leaked to Axios. The Biden administration is holding up shipments of two types of Boeing-made precision bombs to send a political message to Israel, one U.S. official told Politico.
"We are shocked that your administration has reportedly decided to withhold critical ammunition to Israel," the senators wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Free Beacon. "You promised your commitment to Israel was ironclad. Pausing much-needed military support to our closest Middle Eastern ally signals otherwise."
The senators say the White House "failed to notify Congress about this decision," leaving lawmakers to learn of the decision from press reports. The letter signals mounting GOP concern with the Biden administration’s increasingly hostile stance toward Israel as it launches an offensive campaign into the Gaza Strip’s Rafah neighborhood…
“ironclad” https://t.co/Dvq64kVJ9P
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) May 8, 2024
In unsurprising fashion, Biden is failing abroad. In doing so, he shredded his own “ironclad” commitment to stand firm with Israel. In a week, this administration has shown our only democratic ally in the Middle East we cannot be relied on in any way. It’s a profoundly embarrassing chapter in American foreign policy.
Israeli forces have been warning civilians to leave for safety. Some have refused, even telling IDF officers that they want to die and do not wish for any peace if it comes from Jews.
You cannot have an "ironclad" commitment to Israel's security while also not supporting a military operation in Rafah. 8000 Hamas terrorists are there.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) May 7, 2024
Katie also covered this story as well earlier this afternoon.
So, are we happy with the new 'norms' here or not? Mr. Magoo is in the White House presiding over Middle East havoc and seems keen on pouring gasoline on that unholy pyre.