By Kyle Anzalone – Antiwar.com
President Joe Biden said he would not set any red lines for US weapons shipments to Israel, after approving 100 arms sales to Tel Aviv in the past five months. Israeli forces have committed a multitude of war crimes in Gaza, including some using US arms.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart, Biden refused to place restrictions on what Tel Aviv would have to do before he stopped shipping weapons to Israel. In a somewhat convoluted statement, the president first said there would be red lines on Israel attacking Gaza, but went on to say there is no action that would lead the US to cut off weapons.
When asked if attacking Rafah was a red line, Biden replied, “It is a red line, but I’m never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical.” He continued, “There is no red line where I cut off all weapons so they don’t have [missile defense] to protect them.”
Biden went on to say there would be consequences if “30,000 more Palestinians died,” but did not explain what crossing that line would mean.
The unclear policy reflects the tightrope the White House is now trying to walk, attempting to place blame on Netanyahu for the slaughter in Gaza without cutting Washington’s significant support for Tel Aviv. During the interview, Biden asserted Netanyahu was “hurting Israel.”
According to Axios, US officials say the White House is becoming increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu’s “ungratefulness” for American largess.
After his State of the Union Address, President Biden said he would have a “come to Jesus meeting” with the leader of the Jewish state. Biden elaborated further to Capehart on the “serious conversation” he plans to have with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He explained the message would include that “Israel has a right to defend itself,” but “must pay more attention to the loss of innocent lives in Gaza.” Since October 7, Israel has killed over 21,000 women and children in the Strip. Additionally, Israel has prevented aid from reaching Gaza, putting the Strip on the brink of famine. At least 20 Palestinians have died of deprivation in recent weeks.
However, the tactic of splitting Netanyahu from Tel Aviv’s treatment of the Palestinians is proving challenging as the onslaught in Gaza enjoys widespread support among the Israeli government. Numerous Israeli officials have been documented making genocidal statements over the past five months.
During the MSNBC interview released on Saturday, the president explained he had dispatched CIA Director William Burns in an attempt to reach a last-minute ceasefire before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins Sunday night.
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, who visited the US last week and met with Vice President Kamala Harris, has warned that unless Hamas releases all Israeli hostages by Ramadan, Tel Aviv will launch its assault on Rafah.
The White House, the UN, and numerous humanitarian organizations have pleaded with Israel not to attack Rafah, as over 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in the city. Many of the limited number of aid trucks reaching Gaza enter through the Rafah crossing, and an attack on the city would likely prevent severely needed assistance from reaching the city.