President Biden on Wednesday warned that the United States would withhold certain weapons if Israel launches an attack on southern Gaza, which it has long threatened, and acknowledged that American bombs were used to kill Palestinian civilians. Ta.
In his strongest words yet on the seven-month war, Biden said the United States had committed to protecting Israel's security, including its Iron Dome missile defense system and Israel's “ability to respond to attacks” such as an attack by Iran. He said he would continue to secure them. April.
But it said it would prevent weapons that could be used to fire into the densely populated area of ​​Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have fled.
The president had already stopped a shipment of 3,500 bombs last week, fearing they could be used in a major attack on Rafah. This is the first time Biden has attempted to use American weapons to exert influence since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. how wars are fought.
It said it would also block the shipment of shells on Wednesday.
In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Mr. “This means that we will not be able to supply the same.”
Furthermore, he added: “But that's just wrong. We're not going to do that, we're not going to provide the used, used weapons and shells.”
Asked if a 2,000-pound bomb was used by the U.S. military to kill civilians in Gaza, Biden said, “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of bombs and other attacks on populated areas.” Stated.
Biden's comments underscored a widening rift between the United States and its closest Middle East ally over the Gaza war, which has killed more than 34,000 people and triggered a humanitarian crisis. The United States is by far the largest arms supplier to Israel, and the Biden administration will submit a report to Congress this week assessing whether it believes Israel's assurances that it used American-made weapons in accordance with U.S. and international law. I plan to.
Biden has previously resisted calls to condition aid on Israel. Although he strongly opposed the Rafah invasion and grew frustrated with what he once called Israel's “indiscriminate bombing,” he remains steadfast in his support for Israel's right to self-defense.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the US warning and said Israel would press ahead with eliminating Hamas, even if it had to go it alone.
This week, Israel's war cabinet unanimously voted to go ahead with the Rafah attack, warning more than 100,000 civilians to evacuate as the Israeli military launches so-called “targeted attacks” against Hamas.
U.S. officials said this week that Israel's previous operations in Rafah were “limited” and “aimed at disrupting Hamas' ability to smuggle weapons into Gaza,” but they remain concerned. announced that they had expressed their concerns.
Biden said he did not believe previous Israeli operations in Rafah amounted to a full-scale invasion because they did not attack “populated areas.”
But he said he believed they were “right on the border,” adding that they were causing problems with key allies such as Egypt, which is critical to negotiating a ceasefire and opening borders for humanitarian aid. Ta.
Biden said he made it clear to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet that they would not gain support if they proceeded with attacks in populated areas.
“We are not moving away from Israel's security. We are moving away from Israel's ability to wage war in these areas,” he said.
Biden was also asked about the Gaza protests that have erupted on college campuses in recent weeks, specifically about the chant calling Biden “Massacre Joe.”
Asked if he was hearing the message from these young Americans, Mr. Biden said:
“Indeed, the message is heard.”