Netanyahu says Israel can ‘stand alone’ after Biden threatens arms halt - The Washington Post
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on May 9 seemed to rebuff remarks that President Biden would halt weapons shipments to Israeli if Rafah is attacked. (Video: Israeli Government Press Office via Reuters)

Netanyahu says Israel can ‘stand alone’ after Biden threatens arms halt

2 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was strong enough to fight alone as the United States warned that it could cut military aid to the country. “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone,” Netanyahu said in a video message Thursday for Israel’s Independence Day. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF’s spokesman, added Thursday that the IDF had the “necessary weapons” for its planned operations, “including in Rafah.” Their remarks came after President Biden threatened to halt shipment of U.S. offensive weapons to Israel if the country moves ahead with its long-planned ground invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

correction

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Israel’s Independence Day is on May 10. It is actually May 14. The article has been corrected.

Key updates
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Biden’s comments Wednesday to CNN marked the first time he has publicly threatened to withhold U.S. military aid and his most direct warning to Israel in the seven-month war. “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs,” Biden said, referring to 2,000-pound bombs supplied by the United States.
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan said Biden’s comments were “very disappointing” and would embolden Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel must “withstand the international pressure” and continue its war “despite President Biden’s pushback and arms embargo.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant did not directly respond to Biden’s remarks. He said in a speech Thursday that Israel would do “whatever is necessary in order to protect the citizens of Israel” because “we have no choice; we have no other country.”
A ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza set sail Thursday from Cyprus, according to Cyprus’s foreign minister and marine tracking websites. The cargo vessel MV Sagamore is expected to make the first aid delivery to Gaza using a U.S.-built temporary pier.
At least 34,904 people have been killed and 78,514 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children.
Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 267 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation.
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Biden’s comments Wednesday to CNN marked the first time he has publicly threatened to withhold U.S. military aid and his most direct warning to Israel in the seven-month war. “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs,” Biden said, referring to 2,000-pound bombs supplied by the United States.
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan said Biden’s comments were “very disappointing” and would embolden Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel must “withstand the international pressure” and continue its war “despite President Biden’s pushback and arms embargo.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant did not directly respond to Biden’s remarks. He said in a speech Thursday that Israel would do “whatever is necessary in order to protect the citizens of Israel” because “we have no choice; we have no other country.”
A ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza set sail Thursday from Cyprus, according to Cyprus’s foreign minister and marine tracking websites. The cargo vessel MV Sagamore is expected to make the first aid delivery to Gaza using a U.S.-built temporary pier.
At least 34,904 people have been killed and 78,514 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children.
Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 267 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation.
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Israel-Gaza war

The Israel-Gaza war has gone on for six months, and tensions have spilled into the surrounding region.

The war: On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel that included the taking of civilian hostages at a music festival. (See photos and videos of how the deadly assault unfolded). Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948.

Gaza crisis: In the Gaza Strip, Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars, killing tens of thousands and plunging at least half of the population into “famine-like conditions.” For months, Israel has resisted pressure from Western allies to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave.

U.S. involvement: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians, including President Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons, funds aid packages, and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ cease-fire resolutions.

History: The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Read more on the history of the Gaza Strip.