US Rejects Netanyahu's Claims About Withholding Weapons

Facts

• The US on Tuesday rejected claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing the Biden administration of withholding weapons needed for Israel's offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and to 'finish the job a lot faster.'¹
• White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Washington did not know 'what he is talking about' and claimed that only one US shipment of heavy bombs was halted since the war began, while weapons continued to be delivered to Israel.²
• US envoy Amos Hochstein reportedly told Netanyahu in a meeting on Tuesday that his comments were 'unproductive' and 'completely untrue,' while US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew reiterated the message to Netanyahu.³
• The White House also dismissed speculation that a high-level US-Israel meeting on Iran planned for Thursday had been canceled due to Netanyahu's remarks. US officials expressed hope that the meeting would be rescheduled.⁴
• In April, the US granted Israel $17B in military aid on top of the $3.8B in annual funding, with Washington reportedly pressuring senior Democratic lawmakers to approve the sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets worth $18B to Israel.⁵
• Netanyahu also claimed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Washington was working to eliminate 'bottlenecks' in arms supplies, while Blinken declined to say whether Netanyahu accurately recounted the conversation.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²NBC, ³CNN, ⁴ABC News, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶Axios.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Guardian. Benjamin Netanyahu is completely wrong in claiming that the Biden administration is withholding weapons from Israel, and he shouldn't have made such comments. The White House is committed to standing behind US allies, and it has approved billions of dollars in aid to Israel. The administration is balancing the growing concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza alongside its support for Israel, and it has given Israel all but one shipment — reaffirming a deep commitment to the US-Israel partnership.
• Republican narrative, as provided by The Right Scoop. The Biden administration is caving to the far left of the Democratic Party — withholding necessary aid that Israel needs to finish the war with Hamas. Netanyahu recognizes that the White House has been abandoning Israel in recent months, and he can see that Biden is influenced by left-wing critics. Democrats are playing politics and preventing Israel from quickly ending the war — something that would support Israel's security and be in the interest of regional stability.

Predictions