US Secretary of Defense Austin evaluated the latest situation in Rafah and the news that the US has stopped the shipment of some weapons to Israel during the budget discussions he attended in the Senate.
“WE STOPPED THE SHIPMENT”
Austin said that they do not want Israel to launch a comprehensive land attack against Rafah, that they conveyed clear messages on this issue to their interlocutors in Tel Aviv, and that they, as the Biden administration, are closely monitoring the developments in the region. Austin said, “We will continue to make sure that Israel has the means to defend itself. However, we are currently evaluating the security support shipments that will be sent (to Israel) in the near future in the context of the course of developments in Rafah. While we evaluate the current situation, we stopped a shipment containing a large amount of ammunition.” ” said.
Pointing out that the situation of more than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians in Rafah is very difficult, Austin said, “We definitely do not want to see a major conflict in Rafah.” he said. Stating that the evaluation process regarding the continuation of arms shipments to Israel continues, Austin said, “We have not reached a final decision regarding this.” said.
In the news in the American media, based on some unnamed US officials, it was stated that the USA temporarily stopped the shipment of some weapons to Israel and that the process was evaluated within the scope of the developments in Rafah.
ISRAEL: ‘Disappointment’
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), made a statement to Israel Hayom newspaper on the issue. Erdan said that the US administration’s decision to suspend military aid shipments to Israel was a great disappointment.
In his statement to the same newspaper, Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen stated that independence in weapons and ammunition production is of serious importance for Israel’s security.
Cohen said, “We do not need to wait for the war to end; we must take immediate action and establish production systems in existing companies and create new defense companies that will produce weapons and ammunition.” he said.
“IT MAY RISK THE NEGOTIATIONS”
On the other hand, it was also stated that senior Israeli officials warned the USA that the decision to stop arms shipments to Tel Aviv could jeopardize prisoner exchange negotiations. According to the “Axios” news site published in the USA, the US President Joe Biden administration’s halt of the US-made ammunition shipment to Israel last week caused concern in the Tel Aviv administration.
According to two sources familiar with the matter, senior Israeli officials stated that they were “deeply disappointed” in the Biden administration for its decision to stop arms shipments to Israel.
Officials also warned the Washington administration that the decision to stop arms shipments could jeopardize prisoner exchange negotiations.
According to sources, Israeli officials conveyed to their US counterparts that they were disturbed not only by the decision to suspend the arms shipment, but also by the leakage of the issue to the media.
WORDS LIKE THREAT! ‘WE HIT WITH IMPRECISION BOMBS’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party Likud Member of Parliament, Tali Gottlieb, threatened that they would hit Gaza with non-precision missiles if the US did not provide precision missiles, after the Washington administration decided to stop arms shipments to Tel Aviv.
In his speech to the Israeli Parliament, Gottlieb reacted to the Joe Biden administration’s halt of the US-made ammunition shipment to Israel last week.
Threatening that they would target Gaza in response to stopping the shipment, Gottlieb said:
“The USA is threatening us with not giving us precision attack missiles. Yes, I have news for the USA. We also have non-precision missiles and the right to protect ourselves. So maybe instead of destroying a particular room or building by using precision missiles, we will use our non-precision missiles (in Gaza) ) I will collapse ten buildings. This is what I will use.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AGAINST COMPREHENSIVE WELFARE ATTACK
The Biden administration opposes any comprehensive Israeli ground offensive in Rafah that does not include a realistic plan to protect civilians.
Despite the warnings of Biden and Western officials that a possible land attack on Rafah would cause more civilian deaths and an escalation of the humanitarian crisis, Netanyahu announced that an attack would be made on the city of Rafah in the south of Gaza, where approximately 1.5 million displaced Palestinians took shelter.
The Israeli army launched a land attack on the Rafah region, where approximately 1.5 million displaced Palestinians took shelter, and announced that it had captured the Palestinian side of Gaza’s border gate to Egypt. While ground attacks in the east of Rafah continue, the Israeli army frequently launches air strikes in the region.
On the other hand, 88 members of the Democratic Party in the US Congress stated that there were credible allegations that Israel deliberately blocked humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians and called on Biden to reconsider the aid provided to Israel in accordance with US laws.
