Israel: US general comments on withheld arms shipment

US general

Whilst numerous international media outlets report all time low relations between the Biden administration and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, recent reports indicate that such a diplomatic malaise comes with a price.

A top US general said on March 28th that Israel had been denied some weapons ordered from Washington, according to Reuters.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown said that “although we’ve been supporting them with capability, they’ve not received everything they’ve asked for,” speaking at an event hosted by the Defence Writers Group.

“It is a constant dialogue,” he added.

A spokesperson for General Brown said his comments were in reference to “a standard practice before providing military aid to any of our allies and partners.”

Washington, which sends an annual $3.8 bn in military assistance to its long-time Middle Eastern ally, cited capacity issues and that the delivery of certain items to Tel Aviv could affect US military readiness.

The US has been providing the country with air defence and munitions systems; however, the Biden administration had come under fire from Democrats and Arab-American lobby groups for its resolute support for Israel, which they say provides it with a sense of impunity.

READ: UN rights expert calls for Israel arms embargo

Navy Captain Jereal Dorsey claimed that “we assess US stockpiles and any possible impact on our own readiness to determine our ability to provide the requested aid,” adding that “there is no change in US policy. The United States continues to provide security assistance to our ally Israel as they defend themselves from Hamas.”

On October 7th, 2023, Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel killing almost 1,200 people and abduction 253 hostages, according to official Israeli figures.

However, a recent investigation by Al Jazeera’s I-Unit suggests a significant number of Israeli casualties were killed by friendly fire, and found many of the most barbaric supposed Hamas atrocities, disseminated by Israel’s administration and western media to be unsubstantiated.

In Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and invasion of the Palestinian Gaza enclave, over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed to date, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health Ministry.

READ: Hamas preparing to face Israeli offensive in Rafah

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, in Washington on March 26th where security assistance was discussed, according to the Pentagon.

In a public statement before their Pentagon meeting, Austin told Gallant that “in Gaza today, the number of civilian casualties is far too high and he amount of humanitarian aid is far too low,” according to the Times of Israel.

Reuters / Al Jazeera / Times of Israel

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