Netanyahu’s complaints have nothing to do with arms delays: Why Israel turned on Biden

It’s no secret that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants Donald Trump back in the White House. The once reliable base of Democratic Party support for Israel has withered, especially in the progressive wing, due to the devastating ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza that has claimed nearly 38,000 lives, including 15,000 children, not counting all of those missing, presumed dead, buried under the rubble of their homes destroyed by the occupation state.

Netanyahu has written off his long-time associate and alleged friend President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party, but not for the reasons he would have us believe.

On 18 June, Netanyahu shared a video on X that blindsided the White House, accusing the Biden administration of withholding weapons and compromising Israel’s security. The administration’s whiplash response left a beleaguered US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has travelled to Israel and Gulf countries numerous times in the past eight months, flatfooted.

Although they are reviewing a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs due to concerns over civilian casualties if used in a Rafah attack, Blinken assured us all, “Everything else is moving as it normally would move and, again, with the perspective of making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against this multiplicity of challenges.”

According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “We genuinely don’t know what he [Netanyahu] is talking about.” After referencing the 2,000-pound bomb shipment, she added, “There are no other pauses in place.”

Furthermore, the White House cancelled a meeting concerning Iran with Israeli officials. According to Axios, one US official stated, “This decision makes it clear that there are consequences for pulling such stunts.”

READ: Gaza death toll nears 37,900 as Israel kills 43 more Palestinians

Biden doubtlessly felt stung by the video, especially when Netanyahu placed himself alongside Winston Churchill when he said, “During World War two, Churchill told the United States, ‘Give us the tools, we’ll do the job.’ And I say, give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster.”

Israel has enough artillery to devastate Gaza many times over. India alone has provided Israel with 900 drones and other weapons manufactured in Hyderabad. The factory there is a joint venture between Israel’s Elbit Systems and Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s consortium.

India has been supplying Israel with weapons since the beginning of the war.

However, the US supplied 69 per cent of Israel’s imported conventional arms between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Research Institute (SIPRI). In 2016, Obama increased aid to Israel from $30 to $38 billion over ten years, the largest aid package in US history. These funds went on fighter jets, ground forces, artillery and air defence systems. Israel is also the ninth largest exporter of weapons, proving that it has an ample supply for its own use.

SIPRI lists Germany as the second largest supplier of arms to Israel, providing nearly 30 per cent of its weapons imports. Both the US and Germany voted against a UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) non-binding resolution demanding an end to all sales or shipment of military equipment and weapons to Israel on humanitarian grounds.

In May, Biden threatened to halt shipments of US-made weapons to Israel if it invaded Rafah. “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 stated at the time. “But it’s just wrong. We’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”

Still, the US has supplied Israel an additional $6.5bn of aid since 7 October last year. This is in addition to the $3.8bn it received as per the 2016 agreement. Weapons and money continue to flow even as the Israeli Rafah invasion led to the killing of 45 Palestinians and wounding of 200 more after occupation forces set ablaze a refugee camp where civilians had sheltered.

With the money and arms imports Israel has received since the assault on Gaza began, it’s difficult to imagine that the occupying forces lack a sufficient supply of weapons.

Biden’s empty threat failed to have an impact on Netanyahu’s determination to invade Rafah.

Nor have Biden’s appeals to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza facilitated the effort. Aid trickles in if it arrives at all. Meanwhile, food spoils in waiting aid trucks as Palestinians starve just kilometres away.

The first (and probably only) presidential debate between Biden and Trump only touched on the crisis in Gaza, but much was said in few words. Biden held to his allegedly Netanyahu-endorsed plan for peace. Trump’s plan was much less complicated: “You should let them go and let them finish the job,” he told the CNN moderators, echoing Netanyahu’s demand to be allowed to “finish the job a lot faster.”

In his commentary in the Jewish American newspaper The Forward, Rob Eshman suggested that in the debate Trump was speaking to an audience of one: Sheldon Adelson’s widow and the eighth wealthiest woman in the world, Dr Miriam Adelson. She pledged $90 million to a pro-Trump super PAC and has yet to deliver most of it.

Eshman is likely correct, as Netanyahu doesn’t need to hear from Trump what he already knows. Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s official capital, and moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv. The former US president also gave the Golan Heights for Israel to develop, although it is unclear by whose authority. What greater signal to Netanyahu and his right-wing extremist Likud Party that they have carte blanche from Trump to seize land, including any parts of Gaza and the West Bank?

Despite their decades-long friendship, Netanyahu has with alacrity thrown Biden over for Trump. Biden’s support is fractured after his pitiful debate performance. The split of the progressives had already caused division over eight months of Israeli war crimes committed in Gaza, including mass starvation, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

READ: US lawmakers vote to censor Palestinian death toll in Gaza to cover Israel war crimes

Most Democrats still support Israel’s actions as shown in the recent Senate bill that passed with bipartisan support, restricting any publicly funded institution in Pennsylvania from divesting from Israeli businesses and organisations.

However, there’s enough suspicion within those in the Democratic Party who see Israel’s ultimate intention to further the occupation and establish illegal settlements. Last week, Israel’s security cabinet approved an additional five West Bank settlements along with a list of new sanctions against the already defunded Palestinian Authority.

Trump and the Republicans, however, have remained steadfast in their staunch support for apartheid Israel. “Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war,” said Lindsay Graham on NBC News. “They can’t afford to lose.” He also likened Israel’s genocide in Gaza to the US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, adding, “That was the right decision.” During her visit to Israel in May, former UN ambassador and one-time Republican presidential primary candidate Nikki Hayley wrote on an artillery shell bound for Gaza, “Finish them!”

If the message from Biden is apathy, the signal from the Trump camp is to replicate Israel right-wing fanaticism and throw full support behind spreading settler-colonialism into occupied territories.

Netanyahu and his Likud Party will do all they can to weaken Biden and return Trump to office.

If Biden steps down after his abysmal debate performance, the Israeli right will have another Democratic candidate to defeat, with much less time to do it before the election. However, Biden has shown no signs of relenting, and many Democrats still support his bid for re-election.

Netanyahu understands that his and Trump’s political goals align. Perhaps Trump has very different reasons to support Israel given his loyal white Christian nationalist following. The goals, however, are the same: One Israel, from the river to the sea. While Biden waffles between diplomacy and impotence, Trump has already cemented his support.

Unless the international community sanctions Israel and every country funding the ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank, the genocide and humanitarian crisis will continue unabated.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.