Biden says US will not provide Israel with weapons for Rafah attack

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The United States will not provide Israel with offensive weapons for use in a ground offensive that endangers Palestinian civilians who have sought refuge in the border town of Rafah, President Joe Biden said.

Mr. Biden made the statement in an interview with CNN during a visit to Wisconsin on Wednesday, telling host Erin Burnett that he would not stop the flow of defensive weapons, such as the interceptors used for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, himself when he shut down He admitted that he held up the flow of ammunition, such as the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs.

“We will continue to ensure that Israel remains secure with regard to Iron Dome and its ability to respond to attacks from the Middle East recently,” he said. “But it’s just wrong. We will not – we will not supply the weapons and artillery shells.”

Mr. Biden also said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel “will not have our support if it actually goes to these population centers.”

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of these bombs and other attacks on population centers.”

But he stressed that even if he attached some conditions to military aid, the U.S. commitment to Israel’s ability to defend and respond to attacks would not be jeopardized.

“I have made it clear that if they invade Rafah – they have not invaded Rafah yet – if they invade Rafah, I will not provide the weapons that were used in the past to fight Rafah and to fight the cities – who are addressing this issue,” he said.

“We do not ignore Israel’s security. We are depriving Israel of its ability to wage war in these areas.”

Mr Biden went on to say that Israel’s actions in Rafah – which have been limited so far – had not crossed any red lines. However, he acknowledged that the offensive there had led to tensions in the region.

“They haven’t penetrated the metropolitan areas. What they did is right on the border. And it’s causing problems at the moment with Egypt, where I’ve worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help,” he said.

He also said he had made it clear to Israeli leaders that the U.S. would not support an attack on the civilian population of Rafah, and said he had previously warned Mr. Netanyahu against an overreaction to the Oct. 7 attacks that would result in a repeat , what he saw as American mistakes made after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“I made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet: They will not have our support if they actually take action against these population centers,” he said.

“I said to Bibi, ‘Don’t make the same mistake you made in America.’ We wanted to catch bin Laden. “We’ll help you get Sinwar,” he continued. “It made sense to get bin Laden; There was no point in uniting Afghanistan. In my opinion, it made no sense to believe that they had nuclear weapons in Iraq.”