Mike Stone, Steve Holland and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration suspended arms sales to Israel last week to protest the apparent Israeli move to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.
Biden is trying to prevent a full-scale Israeli attack on Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere in Gaza.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that as Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a decision to invade Rafah, “we began to carefully review proposed supplies to Israel of specific weapons that could be used in Rafah” starting in April.
“As a result of this review, we suspended one shipment of weapons last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs,” the official said.
“We are paying particular attention to the end use of 2,000-pound bombs and the impact they can have in densely populated urban areas, as we have seen in other parts of Gaza. We have not yet made a final decision on how to proceed with this supply. “, said the official.
The four sources said the shipments delayed by at least two weeks included Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which turn silent bombs into precision bombs, as well as small-diameter bombs.
The delay comes as Washington publicly pressures Israel to delay its planned offensive in Rafah until it takes steps to prevent civilian casualties.
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The White House and Pentagon declined to comment.
Israeli forces seized the main border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt at Rafah on Tuesday, cutting off a vital route for aid to reach the tiny enclave.
Without specifying whether there were delays in arms deliveries, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security is “iron.”
However, when asked about the reports of weapons seizures, she added: “Two things can be true in terms of having these tough, direct conversations with our colleagues in Israel… in ensuring that citizens’ lives are protected. … and get that commitment.”
The Pentagon said Monday there was no political decision to stop supplying arms to Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East.
However, the delays were the first since the Biden administration offered full support to Israel following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 more, of whom 133 are believed to remain captive in Gaza, according to Israeli estimates.
Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas led to a seven-month military campaign that killed a total of 34,789 Palestinians, most of them civilians, Gaza’s health ministry said.
The conflict has also brought many of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to the brink of famine and sparked protests in the United States demanding that universities and Biden end support for Israel, including the provision of weapons.
A senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not confirm any specific delays in arms deliveries but appeared to take the reports in stride: “As the prime minister has already said, if we have to fight with our fingernails, then we will do what what they should.”
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