US suspends arms sales to Israel; decision worries Netanyahu management

Sputnik Brazil – The United States has suspended ammunition supplies to Israel for the first time since the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The information was published by the Axios portal, which cited two unidentified Israeli authorities as sources.

“Israeli officials said ammunition supplies to Israel were halted last week,” the portal reported.

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According to the publication, the decision raised serious concerns within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and authorities have been trying to understand why the shipment was withheld.

The article recalls that US President Joe Biden is facing harsh criticism within his country due to his support for Israel in its offensive in the Gaza Strip. In February, Washington asked Tel Aviv for guarantees that US-supplied weapons were being used in the enclave in accordance with international law. In March, the Israeli government sent a letter of guarantees to the American government.

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The text also emphasizes that the Biden administration is “highly concerned” about Netanyahu’s plans to launch an offensive against the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, where at least 1.4 million Palestinians displaced by the offensive are sheltering.

This Sunday, in https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM_heb/status/1787172792854626627 on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Netanyahu criticized the US government, without directly mentioning names.

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“In the terrible Holocaust, there were great world leaders who stood idly by, so the first lesson of the Holocaust is: if we don’t defend ourselves, no one will defend us. And if we need to be alone, we will be alone,” Netanyahu said.

According to the Axios portal, citing the two Israeli sources, last Wednesday (1st), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel and had a “difficult” conversation with Netanyahu about the possible Israeli operation in Rafah .

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“Blinken told Netanyahu during the meeting that a major military operation in Rafah would lead the US to publicly oppose it and would have a negative impact on US-Israel relations,” the publication says.