The White House has pushed back against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allegation that the US is “withholding” weapons and ammunition from Israel. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, “We genuinely do not know what he’s talking about,” in response to Netanyahu’s comments.
Netanyahu’s remarks were an attempt to remove the block on a single weapons consignment announced by the White House last month over the way the arms were being used in Gaza. In a video, Netanyahu rebuked the US, saying, “It’s inconceivable that weapons and ammunition have been withheld from us in the past few months.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the administration was continuing to hold back a consignment of bombs from Israel over concerns about their use in urban areas of Gaza. When asked about his conversation with Netanyahu, Blinken declined to comment, saying, “I’m not going to get into the details of a diplomatic conversation.”
Netanyahu has frequently tried to appeal to his domestic nationalist base by claiming a unique ability to extract concessions from US leaders. However, the controversy over the US supplying arms to Israel has grown in America and Europe along with the scale of destruction in Gaza.
The US is by far Israel’s biggest source of weapons and ammunition, providing Israel with $3.8bn of military aid each year. Despite the controversy, the Biden administration will move forward with another major arms sale to Israel, including 50 F-15 fighter jets worth more than $18bn.
Senator Benjamin Cardin, a vocal supporter of Israel, expressed concerns over the sale but ultimately signed off on the transaction after consultation with the administration. His spokesman, Eric Harris, stated, “Any issues or concerns Chair Cardin had were addressed through our ongoing consultations with the Administration. That’s why he felt it appropriate to allow this case to move forward.”