The move is the most striking manifestation of the growing daylight between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and Joe Biden’s…
Secretary of defence Lloyd Austin speaks during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defence on Capitol Hill in Washington
Mr Austin confirmed the weapons delay, telling the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defence that the US paused “one shipment of high payload munitions”. It also comes as the Biden administration is due to deliver a first-of-its-kind formal verdict this week on whether the air strikes on Gaza and restrictions on delivery of aid have violated international and US laws designed to spare civilians from the worst horrors of war.
The White House National Security Council sought to keep the decision out of the public eye for several days until it had a better understanding of the scope of Israel’s intensified military operations in Rafah and until Mr Biden could deliver a long-planned speech on Tuesday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to square the arms hold-up with Mr Biden’s rhetoric in support of Israel, saying only: “Two things could be true.” Mr Biden has faced pressure from some on the left – and condemnation from the critics on the right who say he has moderated his support for an essential Middle East ally.
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