A Republican senator has demanded answers from President Biden after reports that The White House blocked an arms shipment bound for Israel, as the Middle Eastern nation drew up attack plans for an invasion of Rafah.
In a letter addressed to Biden, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall cited reporting by Axios that U.S. ammunition intended for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been put on hold last week. The letter comes as Israel said it had sent tanks into the southern Gaza city of Rafah hours after Hamas agreed to a ceasefire.
In the letter, Marshall asserted that the president has "repeatedly abandoned Israel," and urges him to clarify the reason behind the block, stating: "I believe the world should know exactly where you stand with Israel."
The Kansas senator, who has been in office since 2021, questioned whether the Biden administration intended to block more Israel-bound shipments in the future, and if it planned for the ammunition shipment in question to be rerouted to Ukraine instead.
Congress recently passed a $95 billion aid package, which included $61 billion for Ukraine and $26 billion for Israel and Gaza. About $4 billion of that total would be dedicated to replenishing Israel's missile defense systems.
The letter stated that Biden has until Wednesday, May 8 to respond to Senator Marshall's queries.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, after sending the letter, Marshall wrote: "Catering to his pro-terrorist, pro-Hamas faction of his party, Joe Biden is blocking aid to Israel. We are demanding answers."
Newsweek contacted The White House for comment via email.
In April, The White House said Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that aid to Israel was contingent the country implementing "a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers" in Gaza.
The decision marks the first time that the U.S. has blocked an arms shipment earmarked for the IDF since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed.
In seven months of bloodshed, the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 34,000, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
The White House did not respond to the Axios report on Sunday, and U.S. officials have been tight-lipped since it was published. John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council refused to confirm the report during a White House press briefing on Monday.
JewishPress.com reported that a Washington source told the website: "There is a temporary hold on one shipment until the U.S. is briefed on the Rafah battle plans."
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about the Rafah offensive or the aid block? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Joe Edwards is a Live News Reporter in Newsweek's London bureau.
