US freezes bomb shipment, biggest warning to Israel

Last Updated on May 9, 2024 3:25 am

The United States is by far the largest supplier of arms and ammunition to Israel. The country provides military aid of 3.8 billion dollars every year to keep Israel in an advantageous position compared to neighboring countries.

The United States has strong support for Israel’s war against the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Hamas. Still, the United States is concerned that humanitarian aid cannot reach Gazans to protect them.

So the US President Joe Biden’s administration postponed the shipment of bombs to Israel for the first time. BBC news.

A senior US administration official confirmed to the BBC that the shipment of hundreds of thousands of 2,000-pound bombs has been suspended. The sale of other arms to Israel is also being reconsidered, he said.

Why is the United States the biggest influence on Israel? The first reason is that many Western countries, including the United States, fear that Israel’s all-out campaign in Rafah will result in many casualties and a humanitarian disaster.

US officials say the bombs they delayed could have been used in the Rafah operation. And if so, it would have caused disastrous consequences in the urban areas there.

The US does not want Israel to attack Rafah. And this is another way to convey that message to them. This is a message to show Israel how concerned the United States is – a US official told the Washington Post.

The second reason is that the US government wants to maintain pressure on the Israeli cabinet to support a cease-fire agreement with Hamas. Ceasefire talks are underway in Cairo, Egypt. If Israel does not agree to reach a compromise in the negotiations, Washington may want to pay a high price.

US domestic politics is seen as a third factor. President Joe Biden is under intense pressure from Democratic supporters to tone down his support for Israel.