Israeli Defense Minister meets with Biden’s National Security Advisor, says the two countries have made ‘significant progress’ after public spat over slowing of arms transfers.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington Wednesday, as the two countries worked to diffuse tensions over allegations the Biden administration has withheld weapons from Israel during its war against Hamas.
Sullivan met with Gallant at the White House to discuss conflicting claims regarding American military aid to Israel, the war in Gaza and the escalating conflict on Israel’s northern border, Iran’s nuclear program, the Biden administration’s demands for greater humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, and tensions in Judea and Samaria.
In a statement issued following the meeting, Gallant said the two had made inroads towards resolving the dispute over the alleged American slow-walking of military aid.
“We have made significant progress in addressing force build-up and munition supply for the State of Israel,” Gallant said.
“It is moving to see the great support we receive from the U.S. government and the American public.”
“During the meetings we made significant progress, obstacles were removed and bottlenecks were addressed, in order to advance a variety of issues, and more specifically the topic of force build-up and munition supply that we must bring to the State of Israel.”
A White House statement on the meeting said Sullivan “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security” and President Biden’s “unprecedented support for Israel since the Hamas attacks of October 7th,” and that the administration is committed to ensuring “that Israel has all it needs to defend itself militarily.”
Privately, administration officials attempted to convince Gallant and his staff that the White House has not hampered arms transfers to Israel, bringing in experts to explain the rate of arms transfers, CNN reported.
“We had a very good opportunity to sit down with experts from across our system and go through every single case,” a senior Biden administration official said.
“This is one of the most complex security partnerships we have, one of the most multifaceted.”
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Biden administration of withholding military aid from Israel, ahead of his July 24th address to Congress.
With the president facing an uphill reelection bid against Donald Trump and pressure from both pro and anti-Israel elements within the Democratic Party, the administration has sought to avoid media attention on U.S. aid to Israel.
On Wednesday, administration officials spoke on condition of anonymity with The Wall Street Journal, downplaying the slowdown in weapons transfers and suggesting the change had more to do with a decrease in Israeli requests than White House interference.