US officials say a hold remains on a single shipment of heavy bombs
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed he made “significant progress” on increasing the flow of weapons from the US to Tel Aviv. The White House has blocked one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs over concerns the heavy munitions would be used in densely populated areas of Gaza.
After three days of meetings with top Biden administration officials, Gallant claimed that some roadblocks to weapons transfers were scaled back. “During the meetings we made significant progress, obstacles were removed and bottlenecks were addressed,” he said, adding that officials found common ground on “a variety of issues,” including “the topic of force build-up and munition supply that we must bring to the state of Israel.”
During his time in Washington, Gallant met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who all pledged ironclad support for Israel.
After the meeting between Sullivan and Gallant on Wednesday, an American official clarified there was no change in US policy.
The trip came after a rift had opened between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over weapons shipments to Israel. Since October 7, the White House has sent nearly 250 shipments of weapons to Israel. One administration official reported the US has sent $6.5 billion in arms since the onslaught in Gaza began, including $3 billion in the month of May.
In April, Biden suspended one delivery of 2,000-pound bombs over concerns Tel Aviv would use them in densely populated pockets of Gaza. Additionally, the White House recently decided to end the fast-tracking of weapons to Israel that began after October 7.
Biden threatened to suspend more arms shipments to Tel Aviv if its forces invaded Rafah. However, the Israeli military has decimated the city over the past month, sending millions fleeing into tent cities without infrastructure or aid, and the White House has refused to suspend any additional weapons transfers.
Still, last week, Netanyahu publicly lashed out at the Biden administration over the minor rollback in support.
