Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says President Joe Biden is making a mistake by delaying a shipment of bombs to his country to help in its war against Hamas.
The president, last week, delayed the delivery of 3,500 bombs to the United States ally in the Middle East. It was the first time he used his executive power to influence Israel’s approach to its war..
Speaking to Dr. Phil on his primetime talk show Thursday, Netanyahu is clearly not happy with the president’s actions.
‘I have known Joe Biden for many years, 40 years and more. We often had our agreements, but also our disagreements. We have been able to overcome them. I hope we can overcome them now,” Netanyahu said.
Biden said on Wednesday that American bombs have been used to kill civilians in Rafah and that he would suspend further arms shipments to Israel if Netanyahu launches a full-scale invasion.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says President Joe Biden is making a mistake by delaying a shipment of bombs to his country to help in its war against Hamas.
Last week, the president delayed the delivery of 3,500 bombs to the United States’ ally in the Middle East. It was the first time he used his executive power to influence Israel’s approach to its war.
However, Netanyahu remains committed to doing what he believes is best to win this war and issued a chilling warning.
‘We will do what we have to do to protect our country, and that means protecting our future. And that means we will defeat Hamas, including in Rafah. We have no choice,” he added.
Despite the pause, Biden reiterated his support for Israel in his interview with Erin Burnett.
‘We are going to continue to make sure that Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and its ability to respond to attacks like the one that occurred at least recently. But it’s just wrong. “We are not going to supply the weapons or the artillery shells used,” he stated.
He noted that Israel has not yet launched a full-scale invasion – it just crossed the border – but expressed frustration that the invasion has cut off a crucial supply line through Egypt to bring much humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
“They haven’t gotten to the population centers; what they did was right on the border and it’s causing problems, right now, in terms of Egypt, where I’ve worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help, but we don’t.” “I have made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet that they will not get our support if they do, in fact, enter these population centers,” he said.
Asked if Netanyahu had already crossed the red line, Biden said: “Not yet, but we have withheld the weapons.” We have helped make a shipment. It was an old shipment. We stopped him.’
He also shared the advice he gave Netanyahu when he visited the prime minister in the days after the October 7 Hamas attack.
Netanyahu remains committed to doing what he believes is best to win this war.
President Biden said the United States would not supply bombs to help Israel invade Rafah.
‘Immediately after that happened, I told Bibi not to make the same mistake we made in the United States: we want to catch Bin Laden and we will help you achieve something similar. “But we went into Afghanistan, which made sense to go after bin Laden, but it made no sense to try to unify Afghanistan,” he said.
‘I’ll help them focus on catching the bad guys, but we have to think about what happens after Gaza. After this is over.
Israel has downplayed the administration’s decision to withhold the 1,800 2,000-pound and 1,700 500-pound bombs.
The administration is also exploring the possibility of delaying future transfers, including guidance kits that convert so-called dummy bombs into precision-guided munitions, according to reports.
Many Democrats have urged the president to limit weapons shipments to Israel for fear they will be used against innocent civilians.
Israel relies heavily on the United States to supply its military. Many of the drones used last month to protect themselves from Iranian missiles were American-made, and American forces helped counter the bombing.
Biden’s decision comes as he struggles to balance his support for Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack with his efforts to protect Palestinian civilians.
Around a million refugees have crowded into Rafah. Biden on Monday warned Netanyahu against a large-scale attack on Rafah.
Many Democrats have urged the president to limit weapons shipments to Israel for fear they will be used against innocent civilians.
Israel relies heavily on the United States to supply its military. Many of the drones used last month to protect themselves from Iranian missiles were American-made, and American forces helped counter the bombing.
But on Monday, the Israeli army warned some 110,000 civilians to leave Rafah, and hours later its tanks moved in. It was not a full-scale invasion, but some fear it is imminent.
Israel has threatened a major assault on the area to defeat thousands of Hamas fighters it says are hiding there.
The relationship between Biden and Netanyahu has become more strained as the prime minister has repeatedly defied US demands on important issues.
Biden’s decision to suspend the bombing has drawn bipartisan criticism.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, is one of Biden’s top surrogates on the world stage. His public break with Biden’s policy is almost unprecedented.
Coons recounted a call last night with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Senate on Thursday.
“Not only do you have the right to defend the Israeli people against Hamas, you have the obligation,” Coons told Netanyahu. ‘You have to go after them. You have to finish the job. You have to go to Rafah.
President Mike Johnson called the move a “betrayal” after he agreed to risk his job and introduce a $95 billion foreign aid package in the House of Representatives that included $26 billion for Israel.
That package was approved only after six months of delay, as both sides of the aisle could not agree on aid to Ukraine or border security provisions.
Senator Tom Cotton demanded the House impeach President Joe Biden.
“Some people say Joe Biden is doing this for his re-election, which would be bad enough,” the Arkansas Republican said. I should add that it would also be grounds for impeachment.
