Netanyahu accuses US of withholding military aid
(Video: Prime Minister's Office)
The Biden administration canceled a scheduled strategic meeting set for Thursday in Washington after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of withholding military aid amid the ongoing war.
The meeting was to include high-profile Israeli officials, such as Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, to discuss critical matters including the northern border situation, ongoing operations in Gaza, post-war plans and Iranian threats.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu posted a video in English claiming that the administration had been withholding aid. "When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation. I said I deeply appreciated the support the U.S. has given Israel from the beginning of the war. But I also said something else. I said it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel."
Responding to Netanyahu's claims, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "We generally do not know what he's talking about. We just don't." The White House acknowledged delaying one arms shipment due to the Israeli offensive on Rafah, which the administration opposed.
American officials disputed Netanyahu's public claims, with one calling him "ungrateful." Israeli officials described Netanyahu's comments as extremely damaging to relations with the Biden administration, noting that the decision to cancel the event was made while some participants were already en route to Washington.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims US withheld military aid
(Photo: Screengrab)
"Netanyahu interjected himself into the debate between the Republicans and the Democrats over arms deliveries and simply lied. He created a false narrative of a bottleneck in the delivery of arms. All shipments but one were on schedule," Israeli officials said.
At a press conference with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Blinken confirmed that one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs was still under review after President Joe Biden paused its delivery. “But everything else is moving as it normally would move,” Blinken said, emphasizing that security cooperation with Israel extends beyond Gaza to address threats from Hezbollah, Iran and other Iran-backed groups.
Blinken reiterated President Biden's commitment to ensuring Israel has the resources to defend itself. "The president’s been very clear from day one that he will do everything he can to make sure that Israel has what it needs to effectively defend itself against these threats. And a big part of that as well is making sure that in providing that assistance to Israel, it has a strong deterrent, which is the best way to avoid more conflict, to avoid more war, to avoid what we’re already seeing in Gaza spreading to other areas, to other fronts."
Blinken acknowledged concerns about using the 2,000-pound bombs in densely populated areas like Rafah but assured that all other shipments were proceeding as usual.