In a recent development, a scheduled meeting between the United States and Israel regarding Iran was abruptly cancelled by the White House.
This decision came in the wake of allegations made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused the U.S. of withholding arms amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The cancellation of the meeting is seen as a public response to Netanyahu's claims, as reported by The Independent.
In a video released on Tuesday, Netanyahu stated that he had informed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of his concerns. He said, "It is inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel." This public accusation by the Israeli Prime Minister did not sit well with President Joe Biden's top advisors, leading to the cancellation of the US-Israel meeting initially planned for Thursday.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Axios, "This decision makes it clear that there are consequences for pulling such stunts." Another official clarified that the meeting was postponed, not entirely cancelled. The Independent reached out to the White House for a comment, but no response has been received yet.
An anonymous senior Israeli official revealed to Axios that the Americans were not pleased with Netanyahu's video, stating, "The Americans are fuming. Bibi's video made a lot of damage." This cancellation sends a potent message to Israel, a nation that has been receiving steady U.S. military aid worth billions since October 7.
In response to Netanyahu's allegations, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed confusion, saying, "We genuinely do not know what he is talking about." She labelled the Israeli leader's claim as "categorically false," explaining that only one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs has been withheld. This decision was made in light of Israel's ground offensive in Rafah, reflecting the Biden administration's push for Israel to take further steps to reduce civilian casualties.
Addressing the pause in the shipment, Secretary of State Blinken stated, "We continue to review one shipment that President Biden talked about regarding 2,000-pound bombs because of our concern about their use in densely populated areas like Rafah. That remains under review." He further added, "But everything else is moving as it normally would move to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself against a multiplicity of threats."
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