General Charles Q. Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday that the U.S. hasn't given Israel every weapon it's asked for.
"Although we've been supporting them with capability, they've not received everything they've asked for," Gen. CQ Brown said at an event hosted by the Defense Writers Group.
Now, the Washington Post is reporting that Israel will receive 1,800 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK-82 500-pound bombs, along with 25 F-35s that were initially approved for sale in 2008.
The sale is bound to enrage Arab-American groups and some Democrats in Congress who have been urging Biden to condition aid based on more humanitarian aid to Gaza from Israel.
“We have continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself,” a White House official told the Post.
The U.S. recently received assurances from Jerusalem that they were "using the weapons supplied by the United States in line with international law and is not blocking humanitarian assistance in Gaza," according to The Times of Israel.
“These assurances are prospective, but of course, our view of them is informed by our ongoing assessments of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during a press briefing.
The announcement came on the same day that the US abstained from a vote at the United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken on October 7, without linking the two issues. The resolution, backed by Russia and China, passed with 14 votes.
The vote sparked a spat with Israel, which argued that its passage would make Hamas more obstinate in truce talks in Qatar. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also canceled a planned trip to Washington by his top aides to discuss plans for an offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah. Jerusalem has since agreed to reschedule that meeting.
Biden's political strategy is painfully obvious. He's trying to play both ends against the middle by abstaining on a cease-fire resolution that the U.S. had vetoed twice before and is now offering Israel 25 more F-35s, the most advanced fighter in our arsenal.
Biden has lost the trust of the pro-Gaza Democrats in Congress and the Arab lobby. Transparent ploys like this are an attempt to satisfy Israel-supporting Democrats, of which there are many.
“The Biden administration needs to use their leverage effectively and, in my view, they should receive these basic commitments before greenlighting more bombs for Gaza,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said in an interview. “We need to back up what we say with what we do.”
It's simple arithmetic. There are five times more Jewish voters than Muslim voters, although in states like Michigan and Pennsylvania the Muslim vote would be critical in a close election.
However, in a dozen other states, getting lopsided support from Jewish votes is also critical.
That's why even though Biden sent Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to do his dirty work of calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign, an open break with Jerusalem is not in the cards.
Biden requested that Netanyahu send a team of security officials to Washington this week to listen to U.S. proposals for limiting the bloodshed. Netanyahu canceled the visit after the United States refused to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages, but which did not condemn Hamas.
Israeli officials have not allayed U.S. concerns about the impending operation in Rafah, but they agreed to reschedule the meeting in Washington, the White House said.
Israel has no viable plan to protect more than a million Gazans in Rafah and Biden knows it. He's trying to forestall the offensive as long as possible to give negotiators in Doha a chance to achieve a ceasefire.
Hamas. obstinate as ever, is refusing to bail Biden out.
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