President Biden cautioned on Wednesday that he would terminate giving Israel offensive weaponry such as bombs and artillery shells if Israeli forces invade Rafah. This is a clear stance amid the outcry over the conflict in Gaza.
Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett in an interview that civilians in Gaza have been killed by the bombs and other methods used to target population centers.
Biden added that he has made it clear that if Israel enters Rafah, he will not supply the weapons historically used to address that situation.
The White House has urged Israel to refrain from sending forces into Rafah without a clear plan to safely evacuate civilians, as the war has already resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths. Around a million refugees have sought shelter in Rafah after fleeing fighting in northern Gaza.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to eliminate Hamas, the group that controls Gaza and planned the attacks on Oct. 7 that killed over 1,100 Israelis. He insists that this requires targeting Hamas leaders hiding in Rafah.
Biden has become increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu in private, and last month hinted in a call with the prime minister that the U.S. could reassess its support for Israel if it did not do more to protect civilians and humanitarian workers. reassess its support for Israel if it did not do more to protect civilians and humanitarian workers.
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns of a looming full-scale invasion of Rafah. But Wednesday’s comments are the first time he has explicitly threatened to cut off the shipment of offensive weapons to the U.S. ally. Biden informed CNN that he will ensure Israel's security with Iron Dome and their capability to respond to recent Middle East attacks. However, he emphasized that it is unjust to supply the weapons and artillery shells.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. was closely observing Israel’s actions in Rafah, after its soldiers took control of a border crossing in Rafah.
Kirby suggested that it did not meet the criteria of a full-scale military operation that U.S. officials had cautioned against. The operation aimed to cut off Hamas’s ability to transport arms across the border into Rafah.
Kirby said that the scale and duration of the operation do not equate to a major ground operation. He also mentioned that it had just begun.
President Biden on Wednesday warned he would stop supplying Israel with offensive weapons like bombs and artillery shells if Israeli forces launch an invasion of Rafah, laying down a clear line amid outcry over the conflict in Gaza. “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which…
