President Biden admits that US bombs have killed Palestinian civilians and that a major arms shipment to Israel has been halted.
– We’ve been very clear… from the very beginning that Israel shouldn’t launch a major attack into Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battle space. And again, as we assessed the situation, we have paused one shipment of high payload munitions, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed at a Senate hearing.
The hearing came days after it was reported that a US shipment of 3,500 American bombs to Israel – just over half of them weighing 900 kilograms each – had been halted.
– We’ve not made a final determination on how to proceed with that shipment, the defense secretary continued, while pledging that the US will continue to do what is necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself.
Yesterday, President Biden also stated that “civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they (Israel) go after population centers”.
– I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem … But it’s just wrong. We’re not going to — we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used, that have been used.
– We’re not walking away from Israel’s security. We’re walking away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas, he continued.
BREAKING: BIDEN ADMITS WHAT THE WORLD KNEW -AMERICAN MADE MEGA BOMBS KILLED CHILDREN
“Have those bombs, those powerful 2,000-pound bombs, been used to kill civilians in Gaza?”
BIDEN: “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs.. pic.twitter.com/VEkTxBBHoq
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) May 9, 2024
Strong Israel lobby
The situation for Joe Biden and his administration is complicated because the US has been Israel’s most important ally for decades, but the Israel lobby also has enormous influence on US foreign and security policy, where politicians critical of Israel can expect to be opposed and character assassinated by organizations like AIPAC.
On the other hand, a growing number of Democratic voters – and even representatives – have turned against what they describe as Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. There have been widespread protests on American campuses and in American cities, with younger Democratic voters in particular blaming Biden for seemingly unwavering American support for Israel’s war machine.
Some observers have even suggested that Biden’s support for Israel and his inability to condemn Israeli crimes could be the main reason he loses the upcoming presidential election to Donald Trump – who has been described as one of the most pro-Israel presidents ever.
Following the announcement to suspend the bomb shipments, Republican senator Ted Cruz accused Biden and his staff of being “is the most anti-Israel in history“ and claimed that the White House is now “aiding Hamas’s war against Israel“.
