(ProsperNews.net) – The Biden administration has delayed weapons shipments to Israel for the first time since the terror attack of October 7. Israeli officials said shipments suddenly ceased, and they were not informed why. The delay comes weeks after the US government asked Israel to confirm that American weapons were not used in violation of international law, and Israeli officials provided written assurances.
Nevertheless, President Biden has made clear his opposition to an Israeli ground campaign in Rafah. In a recent interview, the President said that while he remains committed to Israel’s defense, he will not allow American munitions to be used in the Rafah offensive. White House national security spokesman John Kirby warned Israel that invading Rafah may hand a strategic victory to Hamas and strengthen its hand in negotiations. It would provide a propaganda coup to the terror group, Kirby said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has issued similar warnings and urged restraint.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unmoved, however, and insisted the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) would invade Rafah, a region in the southern Gaza Strip that Israel says is the last remaining Hamas stronghold.
On Holocaust Memorial Day in May, Mr. Netanyahu stated that world leaders did nothing while the Nazis murdered millions of Jews. He added, “If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us. If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone.”
After the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, Mr. Netanyahu formed a cross-party war cabinet that vowed to eliminate the Iran-backed Islamist group. Mr. Netanyahu insists he cannot keep that promise unless he completes a ground offensive in Rafah. Around 1.4 million Palestinians are packed into the city, and Israel recently warned civilians to leave while IDF tanks rolled into the area, cutting off the Rafah crossing – a vital aid route.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri responded to Israel’s Rafah evacuation order, saying an incursion would amount to a “dangerous escalation that will have consequences.”
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