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White House Finally Stands Up To Netanyahu, Refuses To Arm Israel If Rafah Attacked

The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of US-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios.

It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the US has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military.

The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said.

Biden is facing sharp criticism among Americans who oppose his support of Israel. The administration in February asked Israel to provide assurances that US-made weapons were being used by Israel Defense Forces in Gaza in accordance with international law. Israel provided a signed letter of assurances in March.

Israel has intent to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah where more than one million displaced Palestinians have been taking shelter.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released several statements in recents days saying he intended to order an invasion of Rafah regardless of whether Israel and Hamas reach a deal for the release of hostages being held in Gaza and a ceasefire.

US involvement with Israeli war crimes have caused massive amounts of anti-war protests across the US. With leftists typically going out and protesting en mass, many conservatives are openly refusing to support Israel's endeavors vowing to never fight any more wars on behalf of the US government or Israel. This calamity has led to the biggest loss of US Army recruitment in decades and destabilization and loss of trust within the universities and educational system. The consequences and blowback for all this unnecessary foreign intervention could be long lasting and rapidly undermine US hegemony around the globe.

Last Wednesday US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel and had a "tough" conversation with Netanyahu regarding a possible Israeli operation in Rafah, two sources briefed on the meeting said. 

Blinken told Netanyahu during their meeting that "a major military operation" in Rafah would lead to the U.S. publicly opposing it and would negatively impact US-Israel relations.

A day later White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Israeli leaders understand that President Biden "is sincere" when he talks about the possibility of changes to US policy regarding the Gaza war "should they move ahead with some sort of ground operation in Rafah that doesn't take into account the refugees."

While Israel waits for Hamas' response to the proposal, Netanyahu has issued several statements over the weekend saying he won't agree to end the war as part of a hostage deal.

https://www.axios.com/2024/05/05/israel-us-ammunition-shipment-hold