The Joe Biden administration recently ended a policy which expedited arms transfers to Tel Aviv, a US official told the Times of Israel. The comments come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the United States of withholding lethal aid amid the months-long onslaught in Gaza.
The unnamed American official revealed the policy shift to TOI on Sunday, explaining that while US weapons are currently being sent at a “normal pace,” Biden had scaled back the fast-tracked shipments that were more common earlier in the Gaza war.
“In recent months, the US resumed its normal procedures for weapons transfers, including various congressional authorizations,” the outlet reported, noting that the decision coincided with a slow-down in Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, around 240 separate weapons shipments were delivered to Israel in the first phase of the war. It noted transfers had dropped to about half that figure in recent months.
The remarks by the US official follow allegations by PM Netanyahu that Washington has significantly held back arms transfers, first raised in a video posted to the premier’s X account on Tuesday. He later elaborated on the claim during a wide-ranging interview with Punchbowl News co-founder Jake Sherman, arguing deliveries had slowed to a “trickle.”
The White House later reacted to those statements with surprise, saying it was not clear what weapons Netanyahu was referring to. Officials maintained that only one transfer of 2,000-pound bombs had been paused over fears of civilian casualties in the crowded city of Rafah in southern Gaza, but said military aid was continuing at a normal pace.
So far, the ongoing row has prompted the Biden administration to cancel a high-level strategic meeting with Tel Aviv last week, which was intended to cover both countries’ policies toward Iran.
Will Porter is assistant news editor at the Libertarian Institute and a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. Find more of his work at Consortium News and ZeroHedge.
