WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden said on Wednesday (May 8) he would stop US weapons supplies to Israel if it attacks Rafah in southern Gaza, his most direct warning to date over the prosecution of the war against Hamas.
US President Joe Biden listens as he and Israel i Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in an expanded bilateral meeting with Israel i and US government officials on Oct 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv.
His fresh warning came after the US last week halted a shipment of huge American bombs to Israel as it appeared ready to proceed with"If they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used ... to deal with the cities," Biden said."We're not gonna supply the weapons and the artillery shells that have been used."
Major US interventions in the past have changed Israeli behavior. In 1991, Israel begrudgingly attended the Madrid conference that led to a peace process with the Palestinians after then-president George W Bush held up US loan guarantees to build settlements. "I cannot imagine American displeasure with the prospect of a Rafah invasion doesn't loom large in the Israeli government's calculus," said Jon Alterman, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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