White House responds to Israeli accusations that US is withholding weapons

Washington DC - The White House bristled Tuesday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Washington was withholding critical weapons to his country as it wages an all-out assault on Gaza.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said that with the exception of one shipment, Washington is continuing to supply Israel with weapons in its deadly assault on the people of Gaza.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said that with the exception of one shipment, Washington is continuing to supply Israel with weapons in its deadly assault on the people of Gaza.  © Collage: REUTERS & Shaul Golan/Pool via REUTERS

"Let me just start off by saying that we genuinely do not know what he's talking about," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

With the exception of "one particular shipment of munitions" that US officials were looking at closely, Jean-Pierre said "there are no other pauses. None."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said earlier Tuesday that Washington is "continuing to review one shipment... with regard to 2,000-pound bombs because of our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah," a city in southern Gaza.

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But the top American diplomat said other weapons were moving as usual and that Washington was "making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself."

The pointed reaction from the White House came hours after Netanyahu said Blinken had assured him the US government was working "day and night" to address the delay in the arrival of the weapons.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said that while he appreciated America's support during the Gaza siege, he also said he told Blinken "it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel."

Biden administration faces growing public outrage over Israel support

The US is Israel's main military backer in its eight-month military siege of Gaza.

Israel has killed at least 37,372 people in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, with the United Nations accusing Israel of committing the crime of extermination against Palestinians.

The Biden administration is facing growing public outrage over its ongoing military and diplomatic support for Israel.

President Joe Biden, along with Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, are facing an appeal of a dismissed federal lawsuit accusing them of complicity in genocide in Gaza.

Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS & Shaul Golan/Pool via REUTERS

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