Israeli Prime Minister said he had asked the US government to speed up deliveries
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the United States for the reduction “dramatic” of sending American weapons to Israel.
In statements given during a government meeting This Sunday (June 23, 2024), Netanyahu said that, although the country led by Joe Biden has supported Israel since the start of the war, the reduction in the pace of arms shipments has been felt by the country for 4 months.
“For long weeks, we reached out to our North American friends and asked for shipments to be accelerated. We did this repeatedly. We did this at the highest levels and at all levels, and, I want to emphasize, we did this behind closed doors. We get all kinds of explanations, but one thing we don’t get [foi] the changing situation”he stated.
According to the Israeli leader, “certain items” military arrived “sporadically”, but ammunition in general continues to be delayed. Netanyahu also said he hoped his public outspokenness about the situation would result in personal attacks against him.
“[…] as happened when I spoke out against the Iran nuclear deal, as happened and is happening when I have repeatedly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state, and as I oppose ending the war as long as Hamas remains in power. But I am willing to accept personal attacks in the name of the State of Israel.”he said.
This is not the first time that the Prime Minister has made statements of this type. On Tuesday (June 18), Netanyahu published a video on your X account (formerly Twitter) talking about the case.
“When the secretary [de Estado dos EUA], [Antony] Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a frank conversation. I said I deeply appreciated the U.S. support for Israel since the start of the war, but I said it was inconceivable that in recent months the administration [norte-americana] has withheld weapons and ammunition for Israel.”he stated at the time.
According to the Israeli prime minister, Blinken assured him that the US government “He’s working day and night” to resolve the situation. “I certainly hope that’s the case. It must be the case”said Netanyahu.
The White House, however, denied that the weapons were being withheld. Asked about the matter, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told journalists on Tuesday (June 18) which “I did not know” what Netanyahu was talking about.
“There was a specific shipment of ammunition that was paused. We continue to have these constructive discussions with the Israelis about the release of that specific shipment that I just mentioned and we have no update on that. There are no other pauses or holds in effect.”he said.
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