The Biden administration is considering slowing or pausing the delivery of weapons to Israel in order to force the nation to slow down and de-escalate the war in Gaza, according to reports by US news media outlets NBC and The New York Post.
According to the reports, the US President Joe Biden’s team has directed Pentagon officials to review the additional US weaponry that Israel has requested. It could be planning to use these requests for weapons to coax Israel to scale back its war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
The reports which cited three US officials claimed that the US is considering slowing the delivery of 155 mm artillery rounds and Joint Direct Attack Munitions to Israel. The latter has been used for precise strikes during the Gaza siege.
The White House claimed that there is no change in their Israel policy. “Israel has a right and obligation to defend themselves against the threat of Hamas, while abiding by international humanitarian law and protecting civilian lives, and we remain committed to supporting Israel in its fight against Hamas. We have done so since October 7, and will continue to. There has not been a change in our policy,” White House National Security Council said in a statement.
Israel and Hamas are locked in a war after the latter launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing over 1,200 civilians and taking over 250 hostages. They have released some of the hostages but around 130 of them are still in Gaza and Israel is facing immense pressure internally to secure their release as uncertainty rises regarding their condition.
Israel is also facing international pressure to scale-down or halt their offensive in Gaza as the death toll from the war crossed the grim-milestone of 26,000. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said that two-thirds of those dead are women and children.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Wall Street Journal that the agreed-upon goal between the two countries remains the same. “We agree on the war aim of destroying Hamas. That doesn’t mean we haven’t had differences of opinion, but we have worked to overcome them,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying by the US-based newspaper.
“It took the US and its allies nine months to defeat radical forces in Mosul. Mosul is smaller than Gaza and does not have the massive terror underground infrastructure. We’re now in the fourth month, but we’ve had tough days,” he further added.
He also accused senior Palestinian leaders for not giving peace a chance and said it is because of them peace will remain elusive. “The problem is that the Palestinians don’t want peace with Israel but peace without Israel. There has been a persistent opposition among Palestinian leaders to the very existence of the state of Israel,” the Israeli Prime Minister said.
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