U.S. paused shipment of weapons to Israel to head off Rafah invasion, says official

[Pelican Press 0]

U.S. paused shipment of weapons to ******* to head off Rafah invasion, says official

******** army tanks take position in southern ******* near the border with the Gaza Strip on May 7, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between ******* and the ************ ****** movement. 

Menahem Kahana | Afp | Getty Images

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration paused a shipment of weapons to ******* last week in opposition to apparent moves by the Israelis to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.

Biden has been trying to head off a full-scale ******** by the Israelis against Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of ************ have sought refuge from combat elsewhere in Gaza.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that as Israelis leaders seemed to approach a decision on a Rafah incursion, “we began to carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to ******* that might be used in Rafah” beginning in April.

“As a result of that review, we have paused one shipment of weapons last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000-lb ****** and 1,700 500-lb ******,” the official said.

“We are especially focused on the end-use of the 2,000-lb ****** and the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza. We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment,” the official said.

Four sources said the shipments, which have been delayed for at least two weeks, involved Boeing-made ****** Direct ******* Munitions, which convert ***** ****** into precision-guided ones, as well as Small Diameter ******.

The delay comes at a time when Washington is publicly pressuring ******* to postpone its planned 

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 until after it has taken steps to avert civilian casualties.

The White House and Pentagon declined comment.

******** forces on Tuesday 

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 between Gaza and Egypt in Rafah, cutting off a vital route for aid into the tiny enclave.

Without addressing whether there had been a holdup in arms shipments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed that Washington’s commitment to *******’s security was “ironclad.”

Still, when asked about the reports on the arms holdsups, she added: “Two things could be true, in the sense of having those conversations, tough, direct conversations with our counterparts in ******* … in making sure citizens lives are protected … and getting that commitment.”

The Pentagon said on Monday that there had not been a policy decision to withhold arms from *******, America’s closest Middle East ally.

Still, the delays appeared to be the first since Biden’s administration offered its full support to ******* following ******’ Oct. 7 *******, which ******* about 1,200 people with about 250 others abducted, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to ******** tallies.

*******’s campaign to ******** ****** has led to a seven-month-long military campaign that has ******* a total of 34,789 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

The conflict has also left many of Gaza’s 2.3 million people on the brink of starvation and sparked protests in the U.S. demanding that universities and Biden withdraw support for ******* — including the provision of weaponry.

A senior ******** official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not confirm any specific hold-up in arms supplies but appeared to take the reports in stride: “As the prime minister has already said, if we have to ****** with our fingernails, then we’ll do what we have to do.”

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Protests and demonstrations,Hunger,Humanitarian assistance,Humanitarian crises,Benjamin Netanyahu,Weapons programs,Military affairs,Military events,Armed forces,Military raid,******,Gaza,******* government,******* Defense Forces,International relations,Joe Biden,Cease fires,War and unrest,*******,Weapons treaties,War,******* States government,Defense,Politics,business news
#U.S #paused #shipment #weapons #******* #Rafah #invasion #official

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