The flow of American arms to Israel has slowed in recent months, not due to a policy change but because many previously ordered weapons have already been delivered and the Israeli government has made fewer new requests, The Wall Street Journal reports. This deceleration has ignited a diplomatic dispute, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly claiming a "dramatic halt" in shipments while US officials maintain that deliveries continue at a normal or even accelerated pace compared to peacetime levels.
"Our pace is normal, if not accelerated, but slow relative to the first few months of the war," a State Department official told the WSJ. This perspective contrasts sharply with Netanyahu's assertion of a "trickle" of deliveries, a claim the Biden administration has contested.
The current delivery rate, while reduced compared to the massive airlift following Hamas's October 7 attacks, is reportedly similar to or higher than peacetime levels. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller suggested that Israel may have requested fewer weapons recently, though an Israeli defense ministry spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.
Video: PM Netanyahu attacks Biden administration over shipments / Credit:X/@israelipm
Netanyahu's public statements about the alleged weapons halt have drawn criticism from the White House. "We have made our position clear on this repeatedly and we are not going to keep responding to the prime minister's political statements," a White House official said in a statement to the WSJ.
The timing of Netanyahu's comments coincided with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's visit to Washington, where he met with top US officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Weapons sales were expected to be a key topic during these discussions.
Tracking arms deliveries to Israel is complicated by the lack of public disclosure and the use of various channels that don't require congressional notification. This approach has made it challenging to assess the exact volume and nature of US weaponry being sent to Israel.
The Biden administration has faced pressure from progressive Democrats to curtail weapons deliveries due to the high civilian death toll in Gaza. According to Palestinian health authorities, over 37,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died in the conflict.
Josh Paul, a former State Department official who resigned in October over the administration's handling of the Gaza war, told the WSJ that the lack of transparency around arms sales has been beneficial for Biden. "What they don't have to deal with is a daily drumbeat about what was delivered," he said. "They don't want to be talking about arms transfers."
Giora Eiland, a former Israeli national security adviser, provided context to the WSJ, stating that the initial surge of armaments after the war's start involved about two years' worth of munitions shipments compressed into two months. He suggested that the subsequent slowdown may not necessarily be politically motivated.
Giora Eiland, a former Israeli national security adviser, provided context to the WSJ, stating that the initial surge of armaments after the war's start involved about two years' worth of munitions shipments compressed into two months. He suggested that the subsequent slowdown may not necessarily be politically motivated.
The dispute over weapons deliveries comes at a critical time for both nations. Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on July 24, and Israel is potentially facing an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes from the International Criminal Court.
Some Israeli political analysts view Netanyahu's recent comments as an attempt to gain political advantage domestically. "I think Netanyahu is doing this for his own political purposes," Chuck Freilich, a former deputy national security adviser in Israel, told the WSJ. "He wants to be able to run against Biden it seems."
As tensions persist, the complex dynamics of US-Israel relations continue to evolve, with arms shipments remaining a central point of discussion and potential disagreement between the long-standing allies.
