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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel expressed fresh complaints Sunday over the Biden administration’s supply of ammunition for the war in Gaza as his defense minister headed to Washington to meet with senior US officials.
Some Israeli media outlets had portrayed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s visit, although pre-planned, as a “reconciliation” trip aimed at easing recent tensions with the country’s most crucial ally. The Netanyahu government and the Biden administration have increasingly been at odds over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, with Netanyahu lashing out at the United States last week for withholding some heavy munitions.
But on Sunday morning, Netanyahu doubled down. In remarks broadcast in Hebrew ahead of his weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he appreciated the Biden administration’s support for Israel during eight months of war, “but starting four months ago, there was a dramatic decrease in the supply of weapons.”
“For long weeks we turned to our American friends to ask them to speed up deliveries. We did it again and again,” Netanyahu said, adding that he had also tried to work behind closed doors.
“We received all kinds of explanations, but one thing did not change: the basic situation did not change,” he continued, adding: “Some items arrived little by little, but the great mass of ammunition remained.”
The comments came days after Netanyahu published a combative videoin English, criticizing the Biden administration for, as Netanyahu put it, withholding weapons and ammunition when Israel was “fighting for its life” against Iran and other common enemies.
U.S. officials said at the time that they found the video. “confused” and I didn’t know what Mr. Netanyahu was talking about. While the Israeli prime minister complained about “bottlenecks,” the Biden administration maintained that it had delayed only one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs over concerns about their use in densely populated areas of Gaza.
The continuation of the dispute on Sunday and Gallant’s trip to the United States come at a critical time. Israel’s military has indicated it wants to end fighting in Gaza and potentially turn its attention to its northern border with Lebanon, after weeks of intensifying attacks between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia.
The Biden administration has been working to try to find a diplomatic solution to prevent a full-blown conflagration between Israel and Hezbollah. President Biden has also spent time and political capital backing an Israeli proposal for a truce in Gaza that involves an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas expressed significant reservations about the proposal and talks are at an impasse.
Gallant was invited to Washington by his counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, according to Gallant’s office. He also said that he was scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and other senior US officials.
“The United States is our most important and central ally,” Gallant said shortly before his departure. “Our ties are crucial, and perhaps more important than ever right now,” he added.
Gallant and Netanyahu are themselves rivals who have openly clashed in recent months, even as they jointly oversee Israel’s military operations. As the Israeli prime minister lashed out at the White House, he also engaged in increasingly public disputes with his top military commanders and right-wing coalition partners.
Gabby Sobelman contributed reports.