The U.S. has paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week out of concerns that Israel was considering launching a full-scale assault on the city of Rafah in Gaza against the wishes of the U.S. The shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs. This decision reflects the growing tension between the Israeli government and the Biden administration, as Biden has called on Israel to do more to protect innocent civilians in Gaza. The U.S. has historically provided significant military aid to Israel, but the Biden administration has been reviewing future transfers of military assistance amid concerns about Israel’s actions.
The Biden administration is set to deliver a verdict this week on whether the airstrikes on Gaza and restrictions on aid delivery have violated international and U.S. laws meant to protect civilians during war. A decision against Israel could increase pressure on Biden to cut off weapons and financial support to Israel’s military. The decision to pause the arms shipment was made last week, and no final decision has been made on whether to proceed with the shipment at a later date. Israeli troops seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing in what the White House described as a limited operation to stop short of a full invasion.
Privately, there is concern inside the White House about the situation in Rafah, but publicly, administration officials have not accused Israel of defying Biden’s warnings against a widescale operation in the city. Israel has ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah and carried out targeted strikes in the city. The U.S. has emphasized that Israel described the operation as limited in scale and duration, aimed at cutting off Hamas arms smuggling. The State Department is separately considering whether to approve the continued transfer of precision guidance systems to Israel, but the review does not pertain to imminent shipments.
The use of the 2,000-pound bomb in Gaza by Israel has contributed to the high Palestinian casualty count in the conflict, with experts pointing to its role in driving the death toll of both militants and civilians. The U.S.-Israel relationship has had moments of tension in the past, with U.S. leaders using the threat of holding up aid to influence Israeli actions. Examples include President Eisenhower pressuring Israel to withdraw from the Sinai in 1957, Reagan delaying the delivery of fighter jets during Middle East violence, and President George H.W. Bush withholding loan guarantees to halt settlement activity in the occupied territories. The Biden administration’s decision to pause the arms shipment underscores the current strain in U.S.-Israel relations.
