Lew Downplays Biden’s Betrayal: Only ‘1 Set Of Munitions’ Held Back

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew stressed Sunday evening that the relationship between Israel and the US remains fundamentally unchanged, despite recent decisions by the Biden administration. This claim comes in the wake of the administration’s choice to delay a shipment of high-payload bombs to Israel and President Biden’s declaration regarding the supply of offensive weapons during a potential major IDF offensive in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

Noting that military aid from Washington to Israel has increased since war erupted in Gaza after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, Lew emphasized in a Channel 12 interview that only ‘one set of munitions’ had been held back, and that ‘everything else keeps flowing.'”

Speaking on the need for dialogue regarding the use of heavy munitions in densely populated areas, Lew remarked, “But I think it’s a mistake to think that anything has fundamentally changed in the relationship.”

When questioned about President Biden’s stance on supplying offensive weapons, Lew clarified, “What the president said is that he doesn’t think it is a good idea to have a massive ground campaign in a heavily populated area. But he specifically said that 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs shouldn’t be used in that setting.”

Lew further noted that President Biden has indicated Israel has not engaged in the kind of major ground operation in Rafah that the US opposes. To date, the Rafah operation has not “crossed over into the area where our disagreements lie. I’m hoping we don’t end up with real disagreements.”

Regarding the war’s objectives and criticism of the US’s approach, Lew stated, “We would never have used that language,” emphasizing the goal is to reduce Hamas’s threat rather than eliminating every member. He added, “We’ve said there’s a better way to do it, including through targeted operations.”

Addressing concerns about arms withholding and criticism from within the Democratic Party, Lew highlighted the administration’s endorsement of continued military aid to Israel. He emphasized, “That’s of huge consequence. There’s a lot of people criticizing that decision. I think it was the right decision.”

Responding to questions about the state of hostage-truce negotiations and US support in defeating Hamas, Lew clarified, “A proposal that Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar put together to send to Hamas came back with changes. The changes are not acceptable to Israel. And we’ve said they’re not acceptable, but you can continue to negotiate… We’re still pushing all parties to stay engaged.”

Regarding sensitive information sharing with Israel and the war’s duration, Lew said, “We’ve been helping for some time on these things,” stressing a common objective to defeat Hamas. He noted the war’s toll on Israel, stating, “Everyone wants this war to end, I hope. We certainly want it to come to an end that leaves Israel safe and secure, so that your sons and daughters don’t have to go and fight, and people can get back to their homes and live in their homes. And that ought to be our common goal.”

{Matzav.com}