U.S. President Joe Biden stated today that the bombs supplied by the United States to Israel, which have now ceased, were used in killing Palestinian civilians.
In an interview with CNN, Biden added that he would suspend arms shipments to Israel if its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his forces to invade Rafah, noting that weapons provided by his country had been used to kill civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Biden clarified that civilians were killed in Gaza due to the use of bombs and other means in residential areas, pointing to 2000-pound bombs his administration decided to suspend delivery to Israel last week.
He said, “I made it clear that if they enter Rafah, something that hasn’t happened yet, I will not provide weapons that were previously used against Rafah.”
He added that the delivery of other weapon shipments would stop if Israel invaded Rafah.
“We continue to work to ensure Israel’s security regarding the Iron Dome and its ability to respond to recent attacks from the Middle East… but we will not provide artillery weapons and ammunition,” Biden continued.
Biden considered Israel’s current military operations in Rafah “have not yet reached the level of crossing the red line by entering densely populated areas.”
The U.S. President explained that he is working with Arab countries ready to rebuild Gaza and assist in transitioning to a two-state solution following the war.
A memo from the National Security Council known as (NSM-20), issued by Biden in February, required the State Department to submit a report to Congress by May 8 on the reliability of Israel’s assurances that its use of American weapons does not violate US or international laws.
In Washington, many Democratic allies of Biden called for a long-term change in US policy, which involves providing unconditional military support to Israel.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said earlier at a press conference that the (NSM-20) report has not been finalized yet, but the department is working “diligently” to complete it. He added, “It may be delayed a little, but we are still in the process of trying to finish it by Wednesday.”
The memorandum prohibits any recipient of US military aid from placing restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
