Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged President Biden’s administration to renew its plan to deliver weapons to Israel. Netanyahu’s office released a statement on Tuesday calling it “inconceivable” that the U.S. has been withholding military aid. The statement follows a meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and top Israeli officials last week, including Netanyahu. The Biden administration has been increasingly critical of Israel’s actions in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for the U.S. support during the war but emphasized the need for continued weapons assistance. “When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation, I said I deeply appreciated the support the U.S. has given Israel from the beginning of the war. But I also said something else, I said it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel,” Netanyahu stated. “Israel, America’s closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies. Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that’s the case. It should be the case,” he added.
The request for renewed weapons deliveries comes as the White House faces scrutiny from House Republicans regarding recent aid packages directed towards Gaza. A group of House Republicans have demanded clarification from the Biden administration on its strategy to prevent Hamas from receiving a significant portion of the $404 million in aid.
Representative Pat Fallon, R-Texas, a member of both the House Armed Services and Oversight committees, led a letter to Blinken seeking a detailed explanation of the funds’ distribution. The letter expressed concern that a substantial amount of the aid might end up in the hands of Hamas, a designated terrorist organization by the State Department.
Blinken announced the $404 million aid package during a press conference in Jordan last week. This brings the total amount of humanitarian aid sent to Gaza by the U.S. to over $674 million since the conflict began, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
