U.S. President Joe Biden decided to hold back delivery of high payload munitions to Israel because Washington believes a possible Israeli offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah could put civilians at risk, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday.
Austin added that the administration was also reviewing some “near-term security assistance shipments” to Israel.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was among the Republicans who rebuked the Biden administration over the decision.
“This is obscene. It is absurd. Give Israel what they need,” Graham told Austin, adding Washington should not second-guess how Israel fights Hamas militants bent on Israel’s destruction.
Republican Senator Deb Fischer, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged Biden to drop “his politically-motivated hold.”
“American support for Israel cannot be in doubt, especially now,” she said.
For its part, the Israeli military appeared on Wednesday to play down the arms shipment hold-up, saying the allies resolve any disagreements “behind closed doors.”
Speaking at a conference, chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari described coordination between Israel and the United States as reaching “a scope without precedent, I think, in history.”
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