Internet shreds Biden administration as Pentagon chief confirms US shipments pause for Israel

WASHINGTON, DC: The Biden administration has decided to halt shipments of a couple of precious bombs to Israel last week in response to the US opposition to Israeli forces' operation in Rafah, a US official has noted, per Fox News.

One shipment of 1,800 bombs each of 2,000 lbs and another of 1,700 bombs of 500 lbs that might be used in Rafah has been placed on hold, said the administration.

This shocking development comes after the Pentagon chief, Lloyd Austin, expressed concerns that the weapons could be used in the Palestinian city where more than one million civilians are sheltering "with nowhere else to go."

Joe Biden's administration 'has been engaging in a dialogue with Israel'

"The U.S. position has been that Israel should not launch a major ground operation in Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering with nowhere else to go," the US official told Fox News.

"We have been engaging in a dialogue with Israel in our Strategic Consultative Group format on how they will meet the humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah, and how to operate differently against Hamas there than they have elsewhere in Gaza," the official continued. 

"Those discussions are ongoing and have not fully addressed our concerns. As Israeli leaders seemed to approach a decision point on such an operation, we began to carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah. This began in April," he added. 

A final decision has not been made on how to proceed with the shipment 

The other weapons transfers from the US to Israel, including the sale of Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM kits are being closely monitored as part of a larger review of US military aid to Israel that began last April, an official told ABC News. 

"For certain other cases at the State Department, including Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits, we are continuing the review," the official said. "None of these cases involve imminent transfers – they are about future transfers."

The official also emphasized that these shipments do not have anything to do with the Israel supplemental appropriations passed last month.

"All are drawn from previously appropriated funds, some many years ago," the official said. "We are committed to ensuring Israel gets every dollar appropriated in the supplemental. In fact, we just approved the latest tranche of Foreign Military Financing: $827 million worth of weapons and equipment for Israel."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's explosive statement regarding the development

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin becomes the first senior administration official to publicly confirm the US pause on military aid, per ABC News.

"We are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah," Austin told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, emphasizing that supplemental funding passed by Congress is not in jeopardy.

"We've been very clear," he said, "from the very beginning that that Israel shouldn't launch a major attack and Rafah without accounting for and protecting those civilians that are hitting that battlespace. And, again as we have assessed the situation, we paused one shipment of high payload munitions."

The White House declined to discuss specifics

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said operations in Rafah are inevitable and necessary to eliminate Hamas. The White House, however, refused to discuss specifics at a press briefing and instead pointed to the overall US support for Israel.

"Our commitment to Israel's security remains ironclad," said White House spokesman John Kirby.

"We don't, as a matter of course, talk about individual shipments one way or the other. But again, nothing's changed about our commitment to Israel security," he added.

Biden has faced severe criticisms over the months from some Democrats and other voters who say he's not doing enough to stop the increasing death toll of civilians in Gaza, while at the same time, support for Israel's operations in Gaza remains strong among Republicans.

On Tuesday, May 7, the Israel Defense Forces announced that it had gained operational control of the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing after troops began a "precise counterterrorism operation" in eastern Rafah aiming to kill Hamas fighters and dismantling "Hamas terrorist infrastructure within specific areas of eastern Rafah."

Internet reacts to Biden administration's curb on military aid to Israel

Netizens lashed out at the current US president after his government decided to halt shipments to Israel.

One X user tweeted, "Betraying Israel, pandering to student protests they funded," and another wrote, "Wow, nice ally the US has become, Biden sides with dictators and terrorists, whens Trump back lol." 

Another individual posted a picture of Donald Trump, saying, "The only man who can make America great again."

"Disgraceful. It was voted on," exclaimed one user and another said, "Mr. Biden would be wise to revise his thinking concerning Israel. Withdrawing support for Israel could bite him on the b*m."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.