Behind Biden's Israel weapons pause, a defiant Netanyahu, a tense phone call

[red dog 1]

Reuters
May 9, 2024


WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) -- U.S. President Joe Biden spent months urging Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect Gaza civilians, but the U.S. decision to pause some military aid to Israel was linked directly to a phone call they had a month ago, a U.S. official said.

In the April 4 call, soon after seven World Central Kitchen workers were killed in an Israeli air strike, Biden gave Netanyahu an ultimatum: protect citizens and aid workers, or else U.S. policy would change.

Biden had been pressed by international allies and many of his fellow Democrats at home to condition billions in U.S. aid to Israel over the massive death toll from it's Gaza assault for weeks.
Among many difficult calls between the two leaders, the April 4 conversation was pivotal, the official said.
Until then, Biden had not threatened to hold back assistance despite increasingly tense conversations.

Last week, the White House acted on the ultimatum.
The United States withheld a shipment of thousands of heavy bombs, out of concern over Israel's slow-rolling assault in Rafah, where Washington opposes a major Israeli invasion without civilian safeguards.

More:
https://reuters.com/world/behind-bidens-israel-weapons-pause-defiant-netanyahu-tense-phone-call-2024-05-09/

[hlthe2b]

1. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall to see Bibi's face when Biden made that clear...

Clearly, like Trump, he is not used to the word "no."

I hope wiser and more reasoned minds prevail in his Israeli war cabinet. Not to suggest that the risk from Hamas is eliminated, but even that can't be pursued to the level of apocalyptic cataclysm in the region. Indefinite war protects Bibi from any consequences of his own actions--especially his past corruption. It likewise assures the deaths of any remaining hostages, a civilian debacle that will reverberate through the ages triggering decades of retribution toward Israel--and the strong possibility/probability of a regional conflict that will draw the WEST in, US included.

NO.

[mountain grammy]

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