By Julia Frankel & Drew Callister | The Associated Press JERUSALEM—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday claimed the United States is withholding weapons and implied this was slowing Israel’s offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where fighting has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony at the Nahalat Yitshak Cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. The ceremony marked the annual memorial for people killed in Israel’s Altalena affair — a violent clash between rival Jewish forces that nearly pushed the newly independent Israel into civil war in 1948.
“It’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel,” Netanyahu said, adding, “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster.” Responding to Netanyahu’s claim Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We generally do not know what he’s talking about. We just don’t.”
With Israel’s war against Hamas now in its ninth month, international criticism is growing over US military and diplomatic support for the Israel’s campaign of systematic destruction in Gaza, at a huge cost in civilian lives. Experts say Netanyahu’s message—delivered only in English—is likely meant to shore up US arms support and doesn’t appear to indicate on-the-ground shortages.
“It’s a very belligerent style of diplomacy, but he’s in a win-win situation,” Bushinsky said. “He has nothing to lose at the moment—this serves him in all dimensions, internally, publicly.”
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