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Will Biden ban American weapons for Rafah offensive?

A ban on the use of American arms in Rafah would seriously cripple an Israeli offensive in the Hamas stronghold.

By World Israel News Staff

President Joe Biden is considering banning the use of U.S. arms in a potential Israeli invasion of Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip which serves as the last stronghold for the Hamas terror group.

According to a column by David Ignatius published in the Washington Post, the administration is mulling imposing conditions on American arms in the ongoing conflict, specifically preventing U.S. weapons from being used in Rafah.

Such a move would seriously cripple Israel’s military activity, as Israeli officials have stressed that an offensive in Rafah is necessary for a decisive victory over Hamas.

Ignatius, who is known to be close to the Biden administration, likely penned the column with insider information regarding the internal discussions on the matter.

“Behind the growing tension with Netanyahu is Biden’s feeling that Israel hasn’t been listening to U.S. warnings and advice, and that the U.S.-Israeli relationship has been a one-way street,” Ignatius wrote.

“The administration feels it supports Israeli interests, at considerable political cost at home and abroad, while Netanyahu isn’t responsive to American requests. Israel argues that any space between U.S. and Israeli policy only benefits Hamas. But Israel doesn’t make compromises to narrow that gap.”

The U.S. has asked Israel to present a plan for the evacuation of civilians from the city before moving in, out of fear that the incursion will worsen the humanitarian crisis in the Stip.

“If Israel launches an offensive in Rafah without adequately protecting the displaced civilian population, it may precipitate an unprecedented crisis in U.S.-Israel relations, even involving arms supplies,” former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk told the Post.

Notably, a former Biden official complained to the Post that the U.S. has approved some 100 arms sales, including bombs and munitions, to Israel in recent months.

Jeremy Konyndyk, who is now president of Refugees International, claimed that the “extraordinary number of sales over the course of a pretty short amount of time” is indicative of Israeli dependence on American arms for the ongoing fighting.

Konyndyk said that “without this level of U.S. support,” Israel would be unable to continue its offensive in the Strip.