8/5/2024–|Last updated: 5/8/202412:25 AM (Mecca time)
The Israeli army – today, Wednesday – reduced the US administration’s suspension of an arms shipment following an Israeli military operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip this week, and said that the two allied parties resolve any disputes “behind closed doors.”
In a press conference hosted by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper as the war on Gaza entered its eighth month, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said that coordination between Israel and the United States had reached “in my opinion, an unprecedented level.”
The French news agency had quoted a senior American official as saying that his country had suspended sending a shipment of bombs to Israel, after it failed to address Washington’s concerns about Israel’s plans to invade Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. But the administration of President Joe Biden deliberately missed a deadline to submit a report on Israel’s use of American weapons.
A senior official in the Biden administration said yesterday, requesting anonymity, “Last week, we suspended sending one shipment of weapons consisting of 1,800 bombs, each weighing 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms), and 1,700 bombs, each weighing 500 pounds (226 kilograms), adding, “We have not made a final decision.” “On how to proceed with this shipment.”
The American official said that his country’s officials and their Israeli counterparts discussed alternatives to the Israeli army’s plans to invade the densely populated Rafah, “but those discussions are continuing and have not fully addressed our concerns.”
He added, “When it seemed that Israeli leaders were approaching the point of making a decision on (this) operation, we began a careful review of the transfers of certain weapons to Israel that could be used in Rafah.”
He explained that Washington is “particularly focused on the heavier bombs, each weighing two thousand pounds, and the impact they can have in crowded urban areas, as we have seen in other parts of Gaza.”
According to the US official, the State Department is conducting a review of other weapons transfers, including the use of precision bomb kits known as JDAMs.
The Washington Post quoted a senior American official as saying that the Biden administration’s move to postpone sending two shipments of weapons – in the past days – to Israel aims to emphasize the seriousness of the United States’ concerns about the Rafah attack.
The newspaper quoted an American official as saying that shipments of JDAMS and small-diameter bombs are not expected to arrive in Israel anytime soon.
For its part, Reuters quoted American sources as saying that the weapons shipments, whose delivery was delayed for at least two weeks, include joint direct attack munitions manufactured by Boeing, which convert unguided bombs into precision-guided bombs, in addition to small diameter bombs.
Without mentioning this, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security is “strict.”