If Israel attacks Rafah, they will stop arms shipments: Biden

US President Joe Biden On Wednesday, for the first time in the nearly seven-month-long offensive in Gaza, the U.S. warned in clear terms that if Rafah was attacked, it would Israel will stop the supply of weapons to

According to the news agency (AFP), in an interview given to the American broadcaster CNN, Joe Biden also expressed his regret over the fact that the use of American bombs on the Palestinian territory cost the lives of civilians.

This warning from President Joe Biden comes at a time when recently United States The U.S. halted large-scale U.S. bomb shipments to Israel as it appeared that Israel was preparing for a major attack on Rafah, a city full of Palestinian refugees sheltering near the Egyptian border.

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Biden said: ‘If they go into Rafah, I will not provide the weapons that have been used.’ He said that the supply of weapons that have historically been used for Rafah and other cities will be stopped.

Joe Biden has long pressed Congress to end the $3 billion in arms the US sends to Israel each year.

But U.S. officials say privately that they were forced to do so because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on attacking the Palestinian city despite repeated public pleas from President Biden to refrain from attacking Rafah. What did

The Biden administration halted the delivery of some of the bombs last week amid growing pressure from the left of his own party to limit arms shipments.

Displaced Palestinians leave the area with their loved ones and belongings to escape an Israeli attack in Rafah, southern Gaza, May 6, 2024 (AFP)

Biden said: ‘These bombs killed civilians in Gaza. This is absolutely wrong.’

Biden is wary of losing the support of moderate voters in future elections if he goes further in support of Israel, while Netanyahu knows he needs American support at a time when the world is turning against Israel. But there is great anger.

In an interview with CNN, Biden asserted that ‘we are retreating not from Israel’s security, but from Israel’s ability to wage war in (urban) areas.’

The Biden administration has previously taken small steps to show displeasure with Netanyahu, including allowing the UN Security Council to pass a resolution supporting the ceasefire.

Major US interventions in the past changed Israel’s behavior. In 1991, Israel participated in the Madrid Conference, which led to a peace process with the Palestinians, after then-President George W. Bush stopped guaranteeing US loans for the construction of Jewish settlements.

In 1956, intense American pressure, including economic threats, forced Israel, as well as Britain and France, to relinquish control of the Suez Canal from Egypt.