Biden threatens to withhold weapons if Netanyahu goes forward with Rafah invasion
President Biden is vowing to withhold weapons from Israel if the Jewish State goes forward with its invasion of Rafah, Hamas’ last stronghold in Gaza.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett in an interview released Wednesday.
“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,” Biden said.
Biden clarified that the U.S. will continue sending defensive weapons to Israel, like supplies for Israel’s Iron Dome.
“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 told CNN. “But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to – we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”
Israel has taken military action in Rafah, but according to Biden, they have yet to cross his red line in entering population centers.
“They haven’t gone into the population centers. What they did is right on the border. And it’s causing problems with, right now, in terms of – with Egypt, which I’ve worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help,” he said. “I’ve made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet: They’re not going to get our support, if in fact they go on these population centers.”
Biden has been criticized by Republicans after it was revealed last week that his administration was stalling its shipments of weapons to Israel even after Congress passed its foreign aid package.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war appears to be making a major impact on the upcoming presidential election. Biden has faced intense backlash from the progressive left for providing aid to Israel, leaving voters in critical swing states like Michigan threatening to stay home in November or to cast their ballot for another candidate.
Anti-Israel protests have erupted across the country, particularly on college campuses, where chants like “Genocide Joe” are heard.
When asked if he hears the message of college protesters, Biden responded “absolutely.”
“There’s a legitimate right to free speech and protest. There’s a legitimate right to do that. There’s not a legitimate right to use hate speech. There’s not a legitimate right to threaten Jewish students. There’s not a legitimate right to block access to class. That’s against the law,” Biden said.
“If you look at the data, these demonstrations are real, but they’re not nearly, I mean-” Biden said before immediately pivoting to his recent Holocaust speech.
