Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu sees end of arms conflict as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visits US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his claims that the United States had delayed arms shipments, but said he hoped the problem would be resolved soon, as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited Washington for high-level negotiations.

Netanyahu said that although the United States has provided support to Israel since the start of its war against Hamas, a “dramatic decrease” in munitions supplies from the United States began four months ago .

“We turned to our American friends and asked that shipments be expedited. We have done this many times. We did it at the highest level and at all levels, and I want to emphasize, we did it behind closed doors,” Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, according to a written statement from his desk.

“We have received all kinds of explanations, but one thing we have not received; the fundamental situation has not changed,” the Prime Minister said, adding that he had finally decided to make the issue public.

Netanyahu released a video statement in English last week saying the United States was delaying arms and ammunition shipments. The White House has denied that any weapons are being withheld.

“In light of what I have heard over the past 24 hours, I hope and believe that this issue will be resolved in the near future,” Netanyahu told the cabinet.

Israel has been at war with Hamas since October 7, when the group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and Europe, invaded southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages in Gaza.

The Biden administration has become increasingly critical of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip aimed at eliminating Hamas. Some 37,000 people were killed in the ensuing war, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

As fighting continues in Gaza, Israel also faces an escalating conflict against Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, who have launched thousands of explosive rockets and drones into northern Israel in support Hamas.

US envoy Amos Hochstein visited the Middle East last week in a bid to ease tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, which threaten to escalate into full-blown war.

Gallant, the defense chief, is scheduled to meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the operations needed to achieve Israel’s goals in its war against Hamas, his office said in a communicated.

This includes the return of hostages held in Gaza and the necessary measures to achieve regional stability, according to the statement.

On Sunday, Israeli lawmaker Amit Halevi, a member of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said in a radio interview that delays in U.S. arms deliveries had been going on for months.

Halevi, a member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, said the deliveries were not part of the U.S. defense aid package but were regular arms purchases that Israel had already paid for. The United States is Israel’s largest arms supplier.

Gallant’s office said it would “elevate unique areas of cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli defense establishments, emphasizing force-building efforts and power projection, while maintaining qualitative advantage of Israel in the region” – in what could be a reference to the disputed arms deliveries.

The defense chief plans to discuss developments in Gaza and Lebanon, including the transition to a “Phase C” in the war against Hamas. Gallant has said in the past that the third phase of the war would be the creation of a new security regime in Gaza.