Biden Accused Of Helping Hamas As Israelis Fume Over Threat To Halt Weapons

Israeli leaders are furious after the evening prior CNN published an interview with President Biden wherein he laid out that the US will withhold all offensive weapons from Israel if it moves forward with a full-scale invasion of Rafah.

In a message to both Israel’s “enemies and best friends” – clearly a reference to Washington – Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday vowed that Israel “will achieve [its] goals in the north and south.”

“I say from here to Israel’s enemies and its best friends: The State of Israel cannot be subdued — not the IDF, not the Defense Ministry, not the defense establishment, not the State of Israel. We will stand, we will achieve our goals, we will hit Hamas, we will destroy Hezbollah, and we will bring security,” Gallant said.

“Whatever the cost, we will ensure the existence of the State of Israel and remember well the directive we signed just a week ago during the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, the words ‘Never Again.’ For me, it’s not just a directive, it’s a work plan. This is how the defense establishment will work and this is how the IDF will work,” he added.

“We have no choice, we have no other country. We will do whatever is necessary, and I repeat – whatever is necessary, in order to defend the citizens of Israel, to remove the evil threats against us, and to stand up to those who attempt to destroy us.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also responded, but just as with Gallant he has not named Biden or the United States directly…

In what looks like a response to Biden’s remarks about halting military aid if Israel goes into Rafah Netanyahu shares this video of his speech from several days ago in which he says Israel will stand alone if it needs to https://t.co/ZwHj2bNi3M

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 9, 2024

But others were more blunt and direct, claiming that Biden with this move is ‘helping Hamas’:

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated bluntly that the strong American opposition would only reinvigorate Israel’s drive to eliminate Hamas.

“We must continue this war until victory, despite, and to a certain extent precisely because of, the opposition of the administration Biden and the stopping of arms shipments,” he said in a statement. “We simply have no other choice that does not endanger our existence and security.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a firebrand who leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, tweeted simply that “Hamas [loves] Biden.”

Here’s what the hardline and hawkish national security minister tweeted out:

Hamas ❤️Biden

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 9, 2024

Former President Donald Trump agreed, writing in a statement that Biden withholding defense deliveries is tantamount to siding with the terrorists.

Part of his message also included the words “Biden is weak, corrupt, and leading the world straight into World War III. Remember – this war in Israel, just like the war in Ukraine, would have NEVER started if I was in the White House. But very soon, we will be back, and once again demanding PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”

The Rafah mission appears to still be on, and Israel’s message of defiance in response to Biden let that be known. Meanwhile Israel’s Walla News is reporting that the Hamas delegation has now left Cairo and that there has been no ceasefire breakthrough, with both sides once again blaming the other for rejecting a deal.

Israel has previously warned that Israel would give Hamas one week to accept the latest deal on the table (and that warning was issued last week), or else the military would go into Rafah. The refugee-packed southern city of the Gaza Strip has in the last hours been getting hammered by airstrikes, as tens of thousands of civilians scramble to get out.

Biden had said controversially in the CNN interview which angered the Israelis, “I’ve made it clear to Bibi (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) and the war cabinet: They’re not going to get our support if they go [into] these population centers.”

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden said. “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone in Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem.”

“We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” Biden continued before spelling out: “But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to — we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”

Biden is now getting pushback at home too, with Congressional leaders demanding answers as to why Washington’s close Mideast ally is being threatened with the withholding of vital US defense aid…

BREAKING: Speaker Johnson and Senate minority leader McConnell send a letter to President Biden expressing alarm about the decision to pause a weapons shipment to Israel and ask for clarification by the end of the week pic.twitter.com/OLd7agcEf1

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 8, 2024

“This news flies in the face of assurances provided regarding the timely delivery of security assistance to Israel,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wrote Biden in a letter issued Wednesday.

“The American public deserves to understand the nature, timing, and scope of these reviews,” they wrote, and added that “daylight between the United States and Israel at this dangerous time risks emboldening Israel’s enemies and undermining the trust that other allies and partners have in the United States.”