The White House considered on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements this week regarding the delay in the delivery of US arms shipments to his country were "insulting."
John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, told reporters: “Those statements were extremely disappointing and certainly insulting to us, given the amount of support we provide and will continue to provide.”
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the US administration's refusal to stop supplying Israel with weapons and ammunition during the past two months as "unreasonable ," expressing his hope that the obstacles would be removed.
Netanyahu noted that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Israel a week ago and they had a “frank conversation,” during which the Israeli Prime Minister expressed his deep gratitude to Washington for the support it has provided since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip, adding: “I also said something else: It is unreasonable.” “The administration has refused during the past few months to supply Israel with weapons and ammunition.”
In early May, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed the cessation of arms supplies to Israel, indicating that the talk was about a single batch of military aid.
Later, US President Joe Biden said in an interview with CNN that he would stop supplying Israel with aerial bombs and artillery shells if the military operation in the Gaza Strip expanded to the city of Rafah, and, according to him, this has not happened yet.
Biden stressed that the United States will nevertheless continue to supply Israel with air defense systems and other defensive weapons.
The German newspaper Bild, citing sources in Israel, reported on Monday that the United States intends to lift restrictions imposed on arms supplies to Israel in the near future .
Could be!
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