The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military. The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said. President Biden is facing sharp criticism among Americans who oppose his support of Israel. The administration in February asked Israel to provide assurances that U.S.-made weapons were being used by Israel Defense Forces in Gaza in accordance with international law. Israel provided a signed letter of assurances in March.
It’s a sticky wicket, because Israel is the USA’s only ally in the Middle East. All options are terrible.
That was true when Israel was created after WWII. It’s no longer the case. The US is also allied with Saudi Arabia and Egypt as non-NATO nations, and also with the NATO partners UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
??? Those are not NATO members!
You’re correct. They’re partners in NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. I mistyped. I’ll correct it.
We spent how much money and how many lives to make Iraq our ally, and people STILL pull this “only ally” b.s.?
Eh. I’m not sure if most Iraqis would agree that they’re out “ally”. We kinda fucked the dog on that one. And in Afghanistan.
We’re pretty good at regime change, not so great at lasting change.