The Biden administration has decided to suspend some arms aid to Israel, which continues to take a hard line in its military operations in the Palestinian autonomous region of Gaza. According to US officials, the turning point in Israel policy was the April 4 telephone conversation between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The photo shows Mr. Biden having a phone conversation with Mr. Netanyahu. The photo was taken on April 4th at the White House. Photo provided (2024 Reuters / The White House)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden administration has decided to suspend some arms aid to Israel, which continues to take a hard line in its military operations in the Palestinian autonomous region of Gaza. According to US officials, the turning point in Israel policy was the April 4 telephone conversation between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has become extremely serious due to Israel’s fierce offensive, and US aid to Israel has come under scrutiny from the international community. As the invasion of Rafah, the southernmost part of Gaza, became a reality, President Biden repeatedly tried to persuade Netanyahu not to proceed. There were some drastic changes at times, but Mr. Biden terminated the aid.
However, the tide turned when Israel attacked a World Central Kitchen vehicle delivering food aid in Gaza, killing seven members. Immediately after this, in a telephone conversation on April 4, Mr Biden issued an ultimatum: “Protect civilians and humanitarian aid workers, or US policy will change.”See more
The latest measures are not as strict as those imposed under the Reagan administration in 1982, when the US banned the export of cluster munitions to Israel because of its invasion of Lebanon. However, there is no doubt that this will be a turning point in the relationship between the two countries. According to US officials, the administration had not intended to make the decision to withhold aid public, but made it public after Israel made it clear.
Mr Biden has emphasized his ability to negotiate with a variety of foreign leaders, including Mr Netanyahu, with whom he often disagrees. However, Netanyahu’s public resistance to persuasion to stop the Rafah invasion has significantly damaged Biden’s image as a foreign policy expert.
On the 6th of this week, Mr. Biden Mr. Netanyahu once again not to attack Rafah. But then Netanyahu rejected the ceasefire agreement accepted by Hamas and carried out airstrikes in Rafah.
As concerns about the Rafah invasion grew, voices within the US administration began to question the legitimacy of Israel’s previous military operations in Gaza. Secretary of State Blinken was advised by several senior officials that Israel’s narrative that it was using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law was “not credible.”
Defense Secretary Austin holds weekly informal phone calls with Israeli Defense Minister Gallant to advocate for the protection of civilians. However, the day after this regular telephone conversation on the 5th, the Israeli Ministry of Defense expressed the opinion that military action was necessary in Gaza, including Rafah.
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