White House baffled by Netanyahu's claim Biden is withholding weapons
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Netanyahu at a Cabinet meeting. Photo: Ronen Zvulun/Pool via Getty
A White House spokesperson responded bluntly on Tuesday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claim that the Biden administration is withholding weapons from Israel: "We genuinely do not know what he is talking about."
Why it matters: Netanyahu's remarks, made on video in English, were one of his harshest public criticisms of the Biden administration since the war in Gaza began on October 7. They come despite the fact that the U.S. has only withheld one weapons shipment since the war began, while providing billions worth of arms and ammunition.
- That shipment was put on hold in May to signal U.S. concerns over a looming Israeli ground operation in Rafah. It included 3,500 bombs for fighter jets, many of which were 2,000-pound bombs
- Since then, Biden has faced growing pressure from fellow Democrats to cut off or condition military aid to Israel over Palestinian civilian casualties, but has declined to do so.
- White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that beyond the one paused shipment, "everything else is moving."
What he's saying: Netanyahu said in the video that he'd had a "candid conversation" about arms deliveries with Secretary of State Tony Blinken during his last visit to Israel.
- "I said it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel," Netanyahu said.
- He claimed Blinken assured him the administration was working to remove "bottlenecks," adding: "I certainly hope that's the case. It should be the case."
- The Israeli prime minister then compared himself to former British prime minister Winston Churchill and Israel's war against Hamas to the fight against Nazi Germany. "Churchill told the United States, 'give us the tools, we'll do the job.' And I say, 'give us the tools and we'll finish the job a lot faster.'"
The other side: Blinken responded to Netanyahu's comments during a press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington, but declined to say whether Netanyahu had characterized their conversation accurately.
- He said the U.S.-Israel security relationship goes beyond the war in Gaza, and that the U.S. will make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Iran and Hezbollah.
- "We continue to review one shipment that President Biden talked about regarding 2,000-pound bombs because of our concern about their use in densely populated areas like Rafah. That remains under review. But everything else is moving as it normally would move to make sure Israel has what it needs to defense itself against a multiplicity of threats," he said.
Around the same time Netanyahu released the video, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor the Biden administration's decision to withhold assistance "has made Israel's task even more difficult."
- McConnell said Israel needs "the time and space to finish the job" and the "freedom freedom to operate on its own timetable, based on tactical reality in the Middle East, not on the political winds in Washington."
- Those comments help illustrate the partisan divide in Washington over the war and over Netanyahu himself, as the Israeli leader prepares to address Congress next month. Many Democrats plan to boycott.
Behind the scenes: Netanyahu's criticism comes as the U.S. and Israel discuss potentially lifting the hold on the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs
- U.S. officials say it will be easier to release the suspended shipment once Israel ends its military operation in Rafah.
- Two Netanyahu confidants — strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi — will be in Washington on Thursday and are expected to discuss that issue with White House and State Department officials.
- Israel's minister of defense Yoav Gallant will arrive in Washington next week for similar talks.
