Biden Acknowledges That Palestinians Have Been Killed By US Bombs

(PatriotWise.com) — President Biden confirmed on Wednesday that he was halting offensive weapons shipments to Israel to prevent US weaponry from being used on civilians in the operation in Rafah.

In a rare television interview, Biden sat down with CNN’s Erin Burnett, where he discussed the election, the economy, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed earlier reports that the Pentagon put a hold on a shipment of “high-payload munitions” to Israel. Austin said the US would continue to ship defensive weapons but would review some “near-term” shipments in light of the assault on Rafah.

Biden told Erin Burnett that some of the bombs used in the war in Gaza were supplied by the US. He said that he made it clear to Israel that if the operation in Rafah proceeded, he would not supply weapons that were used on the cities in Gaza.

After Biden’s CNN interview aired, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson accused the president of going back on the deal they agreed to last month to provide military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

The speaker said he hoped Biden’s remarks on CNN were just a “senior moment.”

Johnson said when he first heard reports that a weapons shipment had been paused, senior White House officials assured him that the reports were not accurate and the agreement Johnson reached with the president had not been violated.

The speaker then contacted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday to get his side of the story.

According to Speaker Johnson, Netanyahu confirmed that the reports were true.

It was later learned that the White House Security Council had hoped to keep the news about last Friday’s weapons shipment pause under wraps until after President Biden’s Tuesday remarks at the US Holocaust Museum. But reports emerged over the weekend.

In an address on Thursday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that Israel would continue fighting, even without assistance from the United States.

The prime minister said if Israel “must stand alone, we shall stand alone,” adding that the Israeli people would “fight with our fingernails” if they must.