OAN’s James Meyers
10:03 AM – Monday, June 24, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his stance that the United States has withheld sending weapons to the Jewish State in their fight with Hamas.
Advertisement
Netanyahu made the statement on Sunday to his Cabinet, claiming that the drop off began four months ago, without specifying which weapons, saying only that “certain items arrived sporadically but the munitions at large remained behind.”
He said he spent multiple weeks pleading unsuccessfully with U.S. officials in private, leading to the public video he published last week calling out the drop in U.S. support.
“I greatly appreciate the support of President Biden and the American administration for Israel. Since the start of the war, the U.S. has given us support in spirit and in material – defensive and offensive means,” Netanyahu began.
“But four months ago, there was a dramatic decrease in the munitions coming to Israel from the US. For long weeks, we turned to our American friends and requested that the shipments be expedited. We did this time and again. We did so at the highest levels, and at all levels, and I want to emphasize – we did so behind closed doors. We received all sorts of explanations, but one thing we did not receive; the basic situation did not change. Certain items arrived sporadically, but the munitions at large remained behind,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration had previously denied that there was any drop in aid after Netanyahu made a public claim last week. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. was “perplexed” by Netanyahu’s claims. Additionally, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We generally do not know what he’s talking about.”
“I also said something else, I said it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel,” Netanyahu said in the public video last week.
Furthermore, his remarks came just hours after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant traveled to Washington for meetings with senior officials. A statement from Gallant’s office said he would discuss “maintaining Israel’s qualitative edge in the region,” but made no mention of the weapons issue.
The ongoing rift has begun to increase between Netanyahu’s government and the Biden administration in the past few months, as Israel has been in their ongoing war against Hamas.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Be the first to comment