Biden Administration Temporarily Halts US Weapon Shipment To Israel

A U.S. shipment of weapons scheduled to be sent to Israel was temporarily put on hold by the Biden administration last week.

This is the first time the U.S. has suspended an ammunition shipment to Israel since the October 7 attack by Hamas.

The incident sent Israeli officials struggling to understand why the shipment was put on hold, according to Axios, which first reported it.

It was reportedly halted because of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned invasion of Rafah in Gaza where more than one million displaced Palestinians have taken shelter.

However, a CNN report said the incident is unrelated to Rafah invasion threats.

When asked about the suspension of shipment, a National Security Council spokesperson said: "The United States has surged billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel since the October 7 attacks, passed the largest ever supplemental appropriation for emergency assistance to Israel, led an unprecedented coalition to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, and will continue to do what is necessary to ensure Israel can defend itself from the threats it faces."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel last week and had reportedly warned Netanyahu that the U.S. would publicly oppose a military operation in Rafah, which would negatively impact the relations between the two countries.

Netanyahu in a statement issued on Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday, has also hinted that a perceived lack of support from the U.S.

"In the terrible Holocaust, there were great world leaders who stood by idly; therefore, the first lesson of the Holocaust is: If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us. And if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone," the prime minister said.

Israel had also given a letter of assurance in March saying that U.S.-made weapons would only be used in accordance with international law following a request by the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden is facing strong criticism from Americans over his support of Israel, particularly following his approval of a foreign aid bill that included $26 billion for the Israel-Hamas conflict.

This included $15 billion for Israeli military, $9 billion for humanitarian aid in Gaza and $2.4 billion for US military operations in the region.