Biden says US gained’t provide Israel with weapons for Rafah assault | EUROtoday

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The United States gained’t provide Israel with offensive weapons to be used in a floor offensive that endangers the Palestinian civilians who’ve taken shelter within the border metropolis of Rafah, President Joe Biden has mentioned.

Mr Biden made the declaration in an interview with CNN throughout a go to to Wisconsin on Wednesday, telling anchor Erin Burnett that he gained’t cease the move of defensive weapons just like the interceptors used for Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system even when he cuts off the move of munitions corresponding to cargo the two,000 lb bombs he acknowledged placing a maintain on.

“We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” he mentioned. “But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to – we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”

Mr Biden additionally mentioned he instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel “is not going to get our support, if in fact they’re going to these population centres”.

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers”.

But he pressured that the US dedication to Israel’s potential to defend in opposition to and reply to assaults was not in jeopardy even when he was placing some circumstances on navy support.

“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem,” he mentioned.

“We’re not walking away from Israel’s security. We’re walking away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas”.

Continuing, Mr Biden mentioned Israel’s actions in Rafah — which to this point have been restricted — haven’t crossed any purple strains with him. But he did acknowledge that the offensive there has triggered stress within the area.

“They haven’t gone into the population centers. What they did is right on the border. And it’s causing problems with, right now, in terms of – with Egypt, which I’ve worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help,” he mentioned.

He additionally mentioned he has made clear to Israel’s leaders that the US is not going to help an assault on Rafah’s civilian inhabitants, and mentioned he beforehand warned Mr Netanyahu about an overreaction to the October 7 assaults that might repeat what he deemed as American errors made after the September 11, 2001 terrorist assaults.

“I’ve made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet: They’re not going to get our support, if in fact they go on these population centers,” he mentioned.

“I said to Bibi, ‘Don’t make the same mistake we made in America. We wanted to get bin Laden. We’ll help you get Sinwar,’” he continued. “It made sense to get bin Laden; it made no sense to try and unify Afghanistan. It made no sense in my view to engage in thinking that in Iraq they had a nuclear weapon”.