Biden confirms weapons retention if Israel attacks Rafah and is the target of criticism

President Joe Biden confirmed on Wednesday night (8) that the United States will withhold sending bombs and other types of ammunition to Israel if an attack is decided on Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have been taking refuge since the beginning of the war in Gaza. As a result, he became the target of harsh criticism from Israeli authorities and the opposition within his country.

In an interview with CNN, Biden recalled that civilians were killed in Gaza as a result of bombs and other forms of attacks on population centers. “I have made it clear that if they go to Rafah I will not provide the weapons that have been used to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – [armas] that deal with this problem”, highlighted Biden.

The president tried to minimize the effect that this decision could have among Israel’s supporters in the war. “We are not moving away from Israel’s security. We are moving away from Israel’s ability to wage war in these areas,” he explained.

He concluded by saying that the US would continue to supply defensive weapons to Israel, including for its air defense system, the so-called “Iron Dome”, but that other deliveries would be suspended if a major ground invasion of Rafah begins. “It’s just wrong. We will not supply the weapons and artillery projectiles”, he reinforced, once again making the embargo conditional on a possible invasion of Rafah by Israeli forces.

Harsh reaction

The reaction from the Israeli side was strong. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said strong American opposition only reinvigorates Israel’s effort to eliminate Hamas. “We must continue this war until victory, despite and, to some extent, precisely because of the Biden administration’s opposition and halt to arms shipments,” he said in a statement. “We simply have no other choice that does not put our existence and security at risk.”

The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, went further and wrote on the X network that “Hamas [ama] Biden”, using the figure of a heart. Ben Gvir leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit party.

In New York, UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan called Biden’s statements “difficult and very disappointing” and expressed concern that they would be interpreted by Israel’s enemies, such as Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, as “something that gives them hope Of success”.

Even Donald Trump, former president and Biden’s likely opponent in his fight for re-election in November, took the opportunity to bash his opponent. He took to his Truth Social network and posted that Biden will withhold weapons from Israel as they fight to “eradicate Hamas terrorists in Gaza.”

The former president also accused Biden of “taking the side of these terrorists, just as he sided with the radical mobs that take over our university campuses”.