The US has been supplying Israel with weapons since the beginning of the Gaza operation. But President Joe Biden and administration officials under his leadership have repeatedly called on Israel over the past eight months to reduce civilian killings in Gaza.
But each time Netanyahu has avoided that call on some pretext. There has been an argument between the two sides about this. But that argument has now turned into tension.
The tension began earlier this week surrounding a speech by Israel’s prime minister. In a video posted on social media, Benjamin Netanyahu can be heard saying that the US government has blocked shipments of weapons and ammunition to his country. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reacted strongly to Netanyahu’s statement.
Regarding the recent speech of the Prime Minister of Israel on Thursday, he told reporters, “Such words of Netanyahu are very disappointing and disturbing for us. No other country has given Israel the amount of military and other aid we have given and still do.’
In the same context, President Joe Biden’s press secretary Caryn Jane Pierre told reporters, ‘A special shipment of arms and ammunition has been suspended; But no shipment other than that shipment was intercepted. We really don’t understand what Netanyahu is really trying to say.’
Before this, the Israeli forces started an operation in Rafah in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of May. US President Joe Biden strongly objected to this operation by the Israeli forces due to the fact that millions of Palestinian civilians have taken refuge in this city in the southern part of the valley. Ignoring his objections, Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to operate in Rafah.
Joe Biden suspended a US military shipment to Israel in this incident. It was a £2,000 bomb shipment. Israel asked Washington for these bombs to be used during the Rafah operation.
However, the Prime Minister of Israel did not give up on the criticism of Catherine Jane Pierre and John Kirby regarding the recent statement. Shortly after Kirby’s speech on Thursday, he said, ‘I am willing to accept personal attacks, but I still want to continue the shipment of ammunition from the United States. Because this ammunition is necessary for the survival of Israel.