US Pauses Weapons Delivery to Israel Over Rafah
US Pauses Weapons Delivery to Israel Over Rafah Assault
The Facts
US officials on Tuesday revealed the Biden administration had halted the shipment of weapons to Israel reportedly over the latter's plan to attack south Gaza's Rafah city.
US officials Tuesday revealed the Biden administration had halted the shipment of weapons to Israel reportedly over the latter's plan to attack south Gaza's Rafah city.
The Spin
Israel has been warning Hamas about this attack for months now, and with Israeli hostages still in captivity, this limited operation is far from an overreaction. While critics claim Hamas' acceptance of a deal should bar Israel from invading, they're leaving out the fact that the deal they accepted was not the one agreed to by Israel. Hamas also launched a coordinated strike Sunday that killed four soldiers, proving it's still an active threat with no desire to disarm.
The pretext for Israel's attack on Rafah is supposedly to eliminate Hamas and its leadership. However, the extensive destruction and casualties in Gaza indicate broader retaliation by Israel. With tens of thousands of civilians killed and 80% of buildings destroyed in the north, civilians have fled to Rafah. Given Israel's consistent pattern of grievous and unnecessary harm towardtowards Palestinian civilians, the US must halt any support that could make the situation worse.
