A senior official in the Israeli government recently said the U.S. is dragging the process of sending military aid to the Holy Land but officials in America have denied such a claim, resembling what could be a dwindling relationship between both countries.
A senior Israeli official says the U.S. has begun slow-walking some military aid to Israel, an assertion senior U.S. officials denied was the case. https://t.co/rjIMwp950j
— ABC News (@ABC) March 14, 2024
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — the highest-ranking Jewish politician in the U.S. government — recently said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” and should hold an election for a replacement.
The Democratic senator said Israel must make significant modifications in its government to obtain “lasting peace.”
“I believe that to achieve that lasting peace — which we so long for — Israel must make some significant course corrections,” Schumer said.
An anonymous official in the Israeli government said U.S. military aid shipments to the Jewish State were coming rapidly during the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, but “we are now finding that it’s very slow,” thereby pressuring the Holy Land as the country tries to destroy Hamas in Gaza.
The official said he was unsure why the U.S. has become slower in delivering the much-needed aid, adding that the Holy Land is aware of the U.S.’s frustration with the ongoing Middle East war and that Israel will do more to provide humanitarian aid to residents of Gaza.
Multiple U.S. officials denied the official’s allegations, saying the U.S. has not changed its policy or has purposely delayed delivering military aid to Israel.
ABC News pointed out that, given a 10-year agreement negotiated under then-President Barack Obama, the U.S. government provides nearly $4 billion in military aid to the Holy Land.
When asked about the Israeli official’s allegations, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said the U.S. is continuing to provide the Jewish State with much-needed aid.
“I’m not gonna get into the timeline for every individual system that’s being provided,” Kirby told ABC News. “We continue to support Israel with their self-defense needs. That’s not going to change, and we have been very, very direct about that.”
The Israeli official’s claims come after the U.S. government announced sanctions against three Israeli settlers residing in the West Bank and two settlements over violence they allegedly committed against Palestinians.
