President Biden acknowledged Wednesday that American bombs have been used to kill Palestinian civilians as he warned that the United States would withhold certain weapons if Israel launched a long-threatened attack in the southern Gaza Strip.
In some of his strongest words yet on the seven-month war, Mr. Biden said the United States would continue to ensure Israel’s security, including the Iron Dome missile defense system and Israel’s “ability to respond to attacks” like those launched by Iran in April.
But he said he would block the shipment of weapons that could be fired into densely populated areas of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are seeking refuge.
The president had already halted the delivery of 3,500 bombs last week because he feared they could be used in a major attack on Rafah – the first time Mr Biden has used US weapons since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, to influence how the war is fought.
On Wednesday he said he would also block the delivery of artillery shells.
“If they move forward in Rafah, I’m not delivering the weapons that have been used in the past to deal with Rafah to deal with the cities that are dealing with this problem,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett.
He added: “But it’s just wrong. We will not – we will not supply the weapons and artillery shells that were used, that were used.”
Asked whether American 2,000-pound bombs had been used to kill civilians in Gaza, Mr. Biden said: “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of these bombs and other methods they use to attack population centers.”
Mr Biden’s comments underscore the growing divide between the United States and its closest Middle East ally over the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 people and caused a humanitarian crisis. The United States is by far the largest arms supplier to Israel, and the Biden administration plans to submit a report to Congress this week assessing whether it is living up to Israel’s assurances that it will supply American weapons in accordance with U.S. and international standards Law has established, gives faith.
Mr. Biden had resisted previous calls to attach conditions to aid to Israel. He steadfastly supports Israel’s right to defend itself, even as he strongly opposes the invasion of Rafah and is increasingly frustrated by what he once called the “indiscriminate bombing of Israel.”
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected U.S. warnings and said Israel would press ahead with the eradication of Hamas even if it had to do so alone.
This week, Israel’s war cabinet voted unanimously to press ahead with an attack on Rafah and Israeli forces warned more than 100,000 civilians to evacuate as they began what they called “targeted attacks” against Hamas.
U.S. officials said this week that Israel said its previous operation in Rafah was “limited” and “aimed at disrupting Hamas’s ability to smuggle weapons into Gaza,” but continued to express concern about an escalation .
Mr. Biden said he did not view Israeli operations in Rafah so far as a full-scale invasion because they had not hit “population centers.”
But he said he considered them “right on the border,” adding that they were causing problems with key allies such as Egypt, which was a key part of ceasefire negotiations and opening border crossings for humanitarian aid.
Mr. Biden said he had made it clear to Mr. Netanyahu and his war cabinet that they would not receive support if they pressed ahead with an offensive in densely populated areas.
“We are not abandoning Israel’s security,” he said, “we are abandoning Israel’s ability to wage war in these areas.”
Mr. Biden was also asked about the campus protests in Gaza — particularly chants calling him “Genocide Joe” — that have erupted in recent weeks.
Asked if he understood the message from these young Americans, Mr. Biden said:
“Absolutely, I get the message.”
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2024-05-09 04:41:55
www.nytimes.com
