President Joe Biden decided to hold back delivery of high payload munitions to Israel because Washington believes a possible Israeli offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah could put civilians at risk, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Washington

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Israel-Gaza War

The United States has temporarily withheld a shipment of high payload munitions to Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced. The decision was made due to concerns that an Israeli offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah could endanger civilian lives. This marks a notable moment in U.S.-Israel relations, coming after the Biden administration expressed strong support for Israel following a deadly attack by Hamas on October 7th that resulted in 1,200 casualties, according to Israeli reports.

During a Senate session, Secretary Austin revealed the pause in weapon shipments and emphasized the importance of protecting civilians in conflict areas. He confirmed the suspension of about 3,500 powerful bombs, a move that surprised some U.S. lawmakers. Questions arose regarding the rationale behind this decision, reflecting differing opinions among senators about the appropriateness of the U.S. advising Israel on military strategies.

Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito questioned the Pentagon chief about the delay, highlighting congressional support for Israel. In contrast, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham criticized the notion of the U.S. dictating Israeli military operations. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy argued that overwhelming military force could exacerbate terrorist threats, suggesting that Israel might benefit from U.S. experience in dealing with militant groups.

The strategic partnership between the U.S. and Israel, who is a primary recipient of American military aid, faces challenges amidst calls for Israel to reconsider its approach to an assault on Rafah. Nearly half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have sought refuge in Rafah from other parts of the enclave amid ongoing conflict. Israeli authorities have contemplated a significant assault on Rafah to neutralize Hamas fighters purportedly based there. However, an Israeli military spokesperson minimized the significance of the arms delay, emphasizing the strength of the U.S.-Israel operational partnership and the resolution of disputes behind closed doors.



U.S. paused Israel weapons shipment over Rafah

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday told the Senate that Washington had paused a shipment of weapons to Israel. Over that, government plans to carry out an operation in the city of Rafa in the Gaza Strip. Israel shouldn't launch a major attack in Rafa without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battle space. As we have assessed the situation, we paused one shipment of high payload munitions. Austin confirmed reports that the U.S. had at least temporarily halted the planned transfer of some 3,500 powerful bombs. It marks the first such delay since the Biden administration offered its quote ironclad support to Israel after Hamas' October 7th attack that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. And the pause caught some U.S. lawmakers by surprise. What is the status of withholding our weaponry that we voted to send to Israel? Are we doing that? Why are we doing that? That was Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito's question to the Pentagon chief on Wednesday. Again, you know, our commitment to Israel is ironclad. We are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of the unfolding events in Rafa. So that answer wasn't acceptable to Republican Lindsey Graham, who denounced what he called American efforts to tell Israel how to wage war. You're going to tell them how to fight the war and what they can and can't use? But others disagreed. In fact, history tells us that the application of overwhelming military force can in fact grow terrorist threats, not shrink them. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy pointed out the U.S. had no small experience trying and failing to defeat militant groups, and Israel could heed American advice on weapons and tactics. And Austin appeared to agree. We learned, to your point, a key lesson there is that you have to protect the people, the civilians in the battle space, otherwise you create more terrorists going forward. Washington is Israel's closest ally and main weapons supplier. And that relationship has been challenged by Israel's devastating retaliation that Palestinian health officials say killed 35,000 Gazans. The U.S. had urged Israel to hold off on plans to attack the city of Rafa, where around half of Gaza's 2.3 million people have crowded after fleeing other parts of the enclave during seven months of war. But Israel has threatened a major assault on the city to defeat thousands of Hamas fighters it says are holed up there. An Israeli military spokesperson on Wednesday played down the arms holdup, telling a conference that the operational partnership was significant and saying, quote, when there are disputes and there are, they are being resolved behind closed doors in a matter-of-fact way.

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Israel-Gaza War