White House Patience Wearing Thin Ahead of the Presidential Election
Biden, Publicly Warns Netanyahu
Sending a Strong Signal with Ground Invasion in Gaza
Analysis of “Unprecedented Discontent” over 7 Months
Clash with Hezbollah on the Israel-North Line,
US President Joe Biden speaks at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant, Wisconsin on the 8th (local time). Russia AFP via Getty Images,
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, ‘As Israel massed tanks in Rafah, the southernmost point of the Palestinian Gaza Strip, and issued a ground invasion signal less than a day after US President Joe Biden stated, “I will stop providing Israel with attack weapons and ammunition.” Amid escalating Israeli protests, not only do they view the situation in Gaza as a turning point, but they also see it as a turning point in the 76-year security alliance.’,
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, ‘During an interview with CNN on the same day, President Biden stated, “Civilians in Gaza are dying from bombs and other attacks” and clearly stated, “If they(Israel) advance into Rafah, I will not support the weapons they have used to date in Rafah and other cities.” While he did mention that the support for defense weapons like the Iron Dome missile system would continue, he insisted that “this (attack on Rafah) was wrong.”‘,
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, ‘When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to attack Rafah, where 1.4 million refugees have gathered, President Biden declared a halt to weapon support, stating that he would not cross the “red line” if 30,000 more Palestinians were killed, echoing his previous MSNBC interview in March, where he made the Rafah ground war a “red line.” During a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu last month, he publicly warned that if Israel prevented relief trucks from entering Gaza, he would reduce support for Israel, revealing longstanding advice and warnings that had been private until now.’,
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, ‘Despite the deadlock in ceasefire negotiations amid the imminent Rafah attack, the US government temporarily suspended the scheduled shipment last week of 1800 200-pound (about 900kg) aerial bombs and over 1700 500-pound (about 225kg) aerial bombs destined for Israel.’,
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, ‘The decision to suspend this weapon support also came after the US government demanded conditions before the weapons were transferred to the Israeli government but received no response. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration ultimately entered into a review despite the “political pressure.”‘,
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, ‘The WSJ pointed out that it was a “decision that the Biden administration did not want to make, and a sign of unprecedented dissatisfaction” and the BBC analyzed it as “the strongest warning to Israel to date.” With only six months left until the presidential election, as civilian casualties skyrocket, not only the international community but also voices of opposition within the Democratic Party are surfacing, suggesting that the White House’s patience has reached its limit.’,
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, ‘In particular, while Israel sent a delegation to the ceasefire negotiation venue, its dual strategy, including distributing leaflets urging 100,000 Rafah residents to evacuate, reportedly perplexed the United States.’,
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, ‘Yuval Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, responded, calling it “a very difficult and very disappointing statement.”‘,
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, ‘CNN evaluated that the policy of halting weapon support could be a turning point in the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas and stated that President Biden’s acknowledgment that US bombs were used to massacre civilians in Gaza vividly demonstrates the US role in this war.’,
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, ‘It is unclear whether President Biden’s warning will be heeded. If Netanyahu’s far-right coalition collapses, it could lead to even greater turmoil in the situation, and the suspension of weapon support is not a positive signal in terms of a warning to Hamas. Domestically, there was immediate opposition from Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.’,
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, ‘Meanwhile, satellite images showing Israel expanding its assault on Rafah were released by CNN and the WSJ. CNN reported based on satellite images of Rafah taken by the US commercial satellite company Planet Labs PBC from the 5th to the 7th that the Israeli army had penetrated more than a mile (about 1.6 km) into Rafah from the Rafah checkpoint entrance towards the residential area. In northern Israel, tensions have escalated once again as the Israeli military and Hezbollah militants from Lebanon exchanged attacks.’,
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