Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday that there had been a “dramatic drop” in US weapons deliveries for Israel's war effort in Gaza, doubling down on a claim that the Biden administration has denied.
Netanyahu told his Cabinet that the drop had occurred four months ago, without specifying which weapons, saying only that “certain items arrived sporadically but the munitions at large remained behind."
The spat highlights how high tensions have surged between Israel and Washington over the war in Gaza, particularly surrounding the Israeli military's conduct in the beleaguered territory and the harm to civilian life there. President Joe Biden has delayed delivering certain heavy bombs since May over those concerns, but his administration fought back last week against Netanyahu's charges that other shipments had also been affected.
Netanyahu told the Cabinet that he was driven to release a video in English last week after weeks of unsuccessful pleas with American officials to speed up deliveries. According to The Associated Press, he said a resolution appeared close.
“In light of what I have heard over the past day, I hope and believe that this matter will be solved soon,” he said, without elaborating.
Netanyahu's video last week sparked an uproar among critics in Israel and was met with denial and confusion from White House officials. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US was “perplexed” by Netanyahu’s claims. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We generally do not know what he’s talking about.”
His remarks came hours after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant traveled to Washington for meetings with senior officials. A statement from Gallant's office said he would discuss “maintaining Israel’s qualitative edge in the region” but made no mention of the weapons issue.
