White House denies reports of leveraging weapons to pressure "Israel"
4 Min Read
NBC News reported that the US was considering using weapon sales to the occupation as leverage to persuade it to scale back its assault on Gaza.
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Palestinians collect their belongings from their damaged house after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024 (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
The White House announced Sunday that there has been no change in its "Israel" policy after NBC News reported that the US was considering using weapon sales to the occupation as leverage to persuade it to scale back its assault on Gaza.
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council defended the Israeli aggression by attributing it to self-defense expressing that "We have done so since Oct. 7, and will continue to. There has not been a change in our policy."
NBC News had reported that sources revealed the Pentagon has been assessing what weapons "Israel" has requested that may be used as leverage under the direction of the White House.
According to the article, the US is considering reducing or stopping delivery in the expectation that this will force "Israel" to take action in order to relieve pressure off the current administration, which has been complicit in the aggression on Gaza.
Earlier this month, a Gallup poll conducted from December 1-20, 2023, revealed a lack of clear consensus among the American public regarding the US' involvement in the war on Gaza.
When questioned about the NBC report, a White House official denied any attempt to slow down weapon deliveries to the Israeli occupation.
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's residence in the suburbs of Washington, staging a sit-in and calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The protesters voiced their frustration with the US administration's backing of the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people, condemning the occupation and apartheid in the West Bank and across Palestinian territories.
The protesters aimed to increase pressure on the Biden administration to make it clear that Americans do not support the use of their funds for war crimes.
The #Blinken residence#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/ZDLAqCK35m
— Syricide (@Syricide) January 27, 2024
US complicit in destruction in Gaza
On Wednesday, at least 16 renowned international humanitarian groups launched a unified request on all UN member states to ban arms exports to "Israel" as the Israeli occupation continues its homicidal onslaught in the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to the statement, the organizations "demand an immediate ceasefire and call on all states to halt the transfer of weapons that can be used to commit violations of international humanitarian and human rights law."
Writing for Le Monde Diplomatique on Monday, Gilbert Achkar argued that the US, particularly under the Biden administration, has significantly shifted its historical approach of trying to present itself as an impartial arbiter in the Israeli aggression on the Arab region.
Achkar contends that the US bears direct responsibility for the Gaza massacre by supplying "Israel" with substantial weaponry, noting that by late November, the US had delivered 57,000 artillery shells and 15,000 bombs, including powerful BLU-117s and BLU-109 ('bunker buster') bombs, some weighing almost a ton each.
The US had provided 244 arms deliveries by cargo plane and 20 shipments by boat to "Israel" by December 25.
US to supply F-35, F-15 jets to "Israel" as aggression on Gaza continues
According to reports by Israeli Channel 12 on Thursday, the US and "Israel" signed an immense weapons agreement that involves the sale of F-35 and F-15 fighter planes to the occupation.
According to sources from the Israeli Security Ministry who were involved in the negotiations, the deal would mean the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) would be provided with drones and thousands of rounds of ammunition over the next several days, in addition to a substantial number of F-35 and F15 fighter planes, as well as Apache helicopters.
The Israeli sources expressed that the sale, which was pressed upon by Israeli officials, is of unprecedented proportions given the ongoing battle in Gaza and fighting in the north with the Lebanese Resistance Hezbollah.
The Israeli occupation is considering launching an attack on Lebanon in the following two weeks in case a political agreement is not reached regarding Hezbollah's presence near the Lebanon-Palestine border, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing sources.
Since the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon launched its operations last October in support of Gaza after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, almost a quarter-million Israeli settlers evacuated northern occupied Palestine fearing Hezbollah's attacks, in a repeat of a scenario similar to that in the Gaza Envelope in October 7.
