Former President Trump criticized President Biden early Thursday for threatening to withhold certain offensive weapons from Israel if Israeli forces invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Trump: “Crooked Joe Biden just said, knowingly or not, that Israel will withhold weapons as it fights to eliminate Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.” Posted In true social. “Hamas has killed thousands of innocent civilians, including babies, and is still holding Americans hostage, even if the hostages are still alive.”
The former president also accused Biden of “taking the side of terrorists” and reiterated that the war between Israel and Hamas would not have broken out had Biden been in office.
Biden on Wednesday warned that he would stop supplying bombs, artillery shells and other offensive weapons to Israel if the Israeli military launches an invasion of Rafah, drawing a clear line amid protests over the Gaza conflict.
“If they go into Rafah, they haven’t gone into Rafah yet, but even if they go into Rafah, they have historically used to deal with Rafah, to deal with cities. “I have made it clear that I will not supply the weapons that have been used. We will address that issue,” the president said.
Trump himself has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the Hamas attack last October that killed more than 1,000 Israelis and the ensuing conflict in Gaza.
Biden said Wednesday that his administration would ensure Israel could respond to an attack, but would reconsider artillery shells and other offensive weapons.
The White House has urged Israel not to send troops to Rafah without a clear plan to safely evacuate civilians, as the war has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. About one million refugees who fled fighting in northern Gaza have settled in Rafah.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu has remained adamant about his plan to destroy Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip and orchestrated the October 7 attack that killed more than 1,100 Israelis. And to do that, he says, they need to track down Hamas leaders hiding in Rafah.
America reportedly suspended Concerns over a looming full-scale invasion of Rafah led to bombs being shipped to Israel last week. But his remarks Wednesday were the first time the president explicitly threatened to halt shipments of offensive weapons to his ally, the United States.
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