President Joe Biden on Wednesday underscored his warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the event of a massive invasion of Rafah, pledging to cut off the US ally’s access to offensive weapons.
“We’re going to continue to make sure that Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and its ability to respond to recent attacks coming from the Middle East,” Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett in an interview that will be broadcast later Wednesday. “But that’s just wrong. We’re not going to — we’re not going to provide the weapons and the artillery shells.”
Israel has been considering for weeks whether to launch a major invasion of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where more than a million Palestinians have fled. The Israeli army confirmed that it had asked those present to leave parts of the city before an operation. United Nations officials have warned that an invasion would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.
According to the Associated Press, Israeli tanks have already entered Rafah. Biden characterized the current level of Israeli involvement as falling short of attacks on “population centers” that would trigger his ire.
Biden reaffirmed the United States’ long-standing commitment to Israel’s security, but he expressed dismay over the way Netanyahu and his war cabinet have waged war against Hamas since the Hamas attacks. October 7 of the terrorist organization.
In a stunning admission, Biden said US-supplied weapons were used to kill civilians. Gaza’s health ministry said more than 34,000 Palestinians had been killed during the war.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza because of these bombs and other ways they attack population centers,” Biden said.
The Biden administration has already suspended the shipment of 3,500 bombs to Israel. Congressional Republicans, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, criticized the move. Biden also faces immense political pressure from the left as protests on college campuses across the country challenge his support for Israel.
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