On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the Biden administration is still suspending the shipment of a batch of heavy bombs to Israel as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to resolve the issue of the US “withheld weapons”. Blinken stated during a press conference at the US State Department, “As you know, we are continuing to review a batch of bombs weighing over 2000 pounds that President Biden mentioned, because we are concerned that these bombs could be used in densely populated areas like Rafah. This is still under review.”
“But everything else is proceeding as usual, and still from the perspective of ensuring that Israel has the weapons necessary to withstand multiple challenges,” Blinken said.
The news of the suspension of the shipment of heavy bombs to Israel was made public in early May, as the Israeli-Hamas war resulted in significant casualties among the Palestinian people in Gaza. Biden faced immense pressure, both internationally and domestically, regarding the issue of providing weapons to Israel.
The delayed shipment from the US includes 1800 bombs weighing 2000 pounds and 1700 bombs weighing 500 pounds. The US government has also reviewed other weapons shipments but will still provide billions of dollars worth of US weapons equipment to Israel.
After the Biden administration announced the suspension of the shipment of these weapons, reactions were mixed, with Israeli officials and some lawmakers from both parties in the US condemning the move.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the US Congress next month. On Tuesday, in a video speech posted on social media, he stated that during his meeting with Blinken who visited last week, he said, “Over the past few months, the US government has been withholding the weapons and ammunition provided to Israel, which is inconceivable.”
“Secretary Blinken assured me that the US government is working tirelessly to resolve these bottlenecks,” Netanyahu said in the video.
It is currently unclear what weapons Netanyahu was referring to. However, at the press conference on Tuesday, Blinken refused to disclose whether he made such assurances to Netanyahu. He told reporters, “I do not intend to discuss what we have said in diplomatic conversations.”
“I can only reiterate, we are committed to ensuring that Israel has the weapons necessary to defend against various threats,” Blinken said.