There are new irritations between the administration of US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The White House reacted angrily on Thursday to criticism from Netanyahu about delays in US arms deliveries for the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. These comments were “deeply disappointing” and “annoying” in view of the continued US support for Israel, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
Netanyahu said in a video message this week that he appreciated US support in the Gaza war, but at the same time called it “unbelievable” that Washington had “held back weapons and ammunition for Israel” in recent months.
According to the US government, however, only one US shipment of 900-kilogram bombs for Israel was stopped. Biden’s security adviser Jake Sullivan justified this in May with concerns that these bombs could be “dropped on densely populated cities”.
The United States is Israel’s biggest supporter in the war against the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, Biden has become increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct of the war in recent months.
The war was triggered by the unprecedented large-scale attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli sources, the Islamists killed 1,194 people and abducted 251 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel has since launched massive military operations in the Palestinian territory. According to controversial figures from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 37,430 people have been killed so far.