Antony Blinken Defends Halt of Heavy American Bomb Deliveries to Israel

Antony Blinken defended the halt of heavy bomb deliveries to Israel by the U.S. government, stating that the Israeli army has not shown a "detailed plan" to protect approximately 1.4 million civilians sheltering in Rafah. The U.S. Secretary of State emphasized in an interview with ABC News on Sunday, May 13, that Joe Biden remains committed to helping Israel defend itself, and the only American weapons whose delivery has been stopped are 3,500, 2,000, and 500-pound bombs. He added that if Israel begins a large-scale assault on Rafah, further restrictions will be imposed by the U.S. government on the delivery of ammunition and weapons. Mr. Blinken explained that Biden has made it clear that if Israel initiates this large-scale attack, there are "certain ways that we will not support and supply this operation." The U.S. proposal to Israel involved providing sensitive information in exchange for refraining from attacking Rafah. The U.S. Secretary of State expressed concern about how American weapons are used by Israel, stating that the country must have a "clear and precise plan to protect civilians, and we have not seen such a thing so far." The Washington Post reported that the U.S. had proposed to provide "sensitive information" and "valuable assistance" to Israel in exchange for the Israeli army refraining from conducting extensive ground operations in Rafah in southern Gaza. The Biden administration has faced student protests and widespread criticism of the White House's stance on the Gaza war. Despite U.S. opposition, Tel Aviv has issued evacuation instructions to hundreds of thousands of civilians sheltering in eastern Rafah through messages, leaflets, and phone calls to commence ground operations. The Israeli war cabinet also agreed last Thursday to what it called a "measured expansion" of military operations in Rafah. On the other hand, the British Foreign Secretary stated that halting arms exports to Israel in the event of a ground attack by its army on Rafah would strengthen Hamas. David Cameron stated in an interview with the BBC that Britain is in a completely different position from the U.S. regarding arms supply to Israel, claiming that "we supply less than one percent of Israel's weapons, but a strict control and licensing system is applied." Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU, has established hundreds of underground tunnels throughout Gaza during its 17 years of rule, and its internal leaders have hidden in this extensive network of tunnels since the war began. Nevertheless, Mr. Cameron stated that in the absence of a plan to protect civilians sheltering in Rafah, he would not support any potential operations by the Israeli army in the southern Gaza city. He further clarified, "If we wanted to, we could send a political message by stopping arms shipments to Israel, but the last time I was urged to make such a decision, only a few days later, a brutal attack by Iran on Israel occurred, including the launch of 140 cruise missiles." Mr. Cameron stated that the "better response" is for Hamas, which controls Gaza, to accept a deal regarding hostages. Israel assesses that Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and other Hamas leaders are hiding in tunnels under the cover of several living hostages among the 132 Israeli citizens who are still held captive by the group. Reports indicate that the number of Rafah residents who have left the city, which has a population of approximately 1.1 to 1.4 million, has exceeded 300,000 in recent days. Israel insists that the war will end only when all living and deceased hostages are returned, Hamas's military capabilities are destroyed, and Gaza no longer poses a security threat to the lives of Israeli people. In response to the recent military actions of the Israeli army in Rafah and other areas of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced its support for the South African indictment at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which accuses Israel of "genocide" in Gaza, and it will join this legal claim against Israel. In a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, May 13, it was stated that this decision was made following "the increase in intensity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the continued preparations for systematic attacks against the Palestinian people, including targeting citizens, destroying Gaza's infrastructure, and forcing people to flee." Egypt has also called on the international community to pressure Israel to establish a ceasefire in Gaza and end operations in Rafah. Meanwhile, this country, along with Qatar, is a key mediator in negotiations between Hamas and Israel to achieve a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas, with the latest round of negotiations taking place in Cairo. The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end the spread of famine in Gaza. The South African government has opened a case at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide, and the court has announced that it has jurisdiction to handle such a case. The judges of this court unanimously ordered Israel on March 29 to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure the provision of essential food supplies for the Palestinian population in the region and to stop the spread of famine. Additionally, the Associated Press reported, citing a senior Egyptian official, that Cairo, in submitting its objection to Israel, the U.S., and European governments, stated that the Israeli army's attack on Rafah has placed the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in "serious jeopardy." The identity of this Egyptian official has not been disclosed, and he provided this information to the news agency anonymously. The Wall Street Journal reported last February that Egyptian officials warned Israel that if Israeli military forces entered the city of Rafah, the peace treaty with that country would be "suspended." This treaty was concluded in 1979 at Camp David between the two countries, following which Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula three years later, and Rafah was divided into Gaza and Egyptian sections. The Ministry of Health states that Hamas claims that 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza war began. This war started on October 7 of last year when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages.