Netanyahu: US promised to lift hold on ammunition, weapons

The United States is expected to lift its hold on the shipment of ammunition and weapons designated for the IDF, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office said on Tuesday, just one day after the Israeli leader accused the Biden administration of preventing the delivery of those arms.

“US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew told Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday that the ammunition and weapons that the PM referred to are in the process of being delivered to Israel,” the PMO wrote in an English language post on X.

Netanyahu “said he expects this to happen and instructed Israeli teams to work with their American counterparts to that end. Just one day earlier,” the PMO said.

The Defense Ministry said that Netanyahu's speech attacking the US regarding disputes over the pace of weapons transfers took the entire defense establishment by surprise.

The United States on both Tuesday and Wednesday denied that arms had been withheld, save for one highly publicized shipment of arms designated for Gaza that had been suspended, there was no hold on arms for Israel.

White House Press Secretary Kathrine Jean-Pierre told reporters, “We genuinely do not know what he is talking about.”

Reactions in Washington

Netanyahu’s comments ruffled feathers in Washington, with some politicians accusing him of undermining the bi-partisan US-Israel relationship.

US Representative Richie Torres (D-NY) wrote a message to Netanyahu on X, stating  “If you are looking to undermine the bipartisanship of the US-Israel relationship, then release a public video attacking the Biden Administration, which, despite hysterical opposition from the far left, has held firm in support of Israel for eight months and counting.   

“Disagreements should be had in private.  Hamas is emboldened by even the appearance of a ruptured relationship,” he stated.

Netanyahu underscored the importance of the Israel-US bi-partisan relationship when he met with a Congressional delegation from both parties visiting Israel, under the auspices of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee.

“The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the bipartisan support for Israel, and said that he hopes that the munitions issue will be resolved soon,” his office said in a message after the meeting.

Netanyahu’s decision to highlight an arms issue came as Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzahi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minster Ron Dermer arrived in Washington for strategic discussions on the threats facing Israel on multiple fronts, chiefly from Iran, Hezbollah, and Gaza.A White House official dismissed media reports that the Biden administration had canceled those talks in frustration over Netanyahu’s comments, telling The Jerusalem Post that the talks would be held.

The official explained that these talks had not been meant to be considered part of the Israeli-US Strategic Dialogue Group (SDG).

“We have been working to find a time to schedule the next SDG that accounts for the travel and availability of principals but have not yet fully finalized the details so nothing has been canceled. 

“In the meantime, meetings with Israeli officials are being held throughout the week at expert and senior levels on a range of topics,” the official stressed.

“As we said in the briefing yesterday, we have no idea what the Prime Minister is talking about, but that’s not a reason for rescheduling a meeting,” the official said.

On Tuesday, US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs Barbara Leaf told a Senate hearing that there was no hold on arms, save for that one shipment.

“There is exactly one case that the President asked us to hit pause on,” Leaf said. “There is no larger pause or cessation of security assistance to Israel.”

Netanyahu’s statement dovetailed with a report in the Wall Street Journal that the Biden Administration was delaying the process of selling F-15s to Israel, causing confusion with regard to which arms issue the Prime Minister was referencing.

The Defense Ministry in January had officially requested 25 F-15 EX fighters from the US, a move that began a process that could only come to fruition in 2028. The matter had been held up in the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees but has now passed an informal review process. The State Department is now expected to submit a request to Congress in the near future.

The Israeli Defense Ministry said that the leaks about potential delays for the F-15 EX fighter from the US side had been equally surprising.Other defense sources said that it was unclear whether the US delay in presenting a letter to Congress to move the very long aircraft purchasing process forward was a symbolic delay or a substantive one.

The sources speculated that if the delay is only a few days or not much longer than that, it could be technical or symbolic, maybe even a way to slap back at Netanyahu temporarily after he launched his own broadside on Tuesday.

However, if the delay gets dragged out longer because of additional issues, it could substantially delay the delivery of the aircraft, which in any event would be years off.Sources also wondered whether Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich's delay in approving the deal from the Israeli side was also factoring in somewhere in how fast or slow Washington moves on the deal.

The public dispute between Netanyahu and the Biden administration over arms comes in advance of a trip by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to Washington and Netanyahu's expected joint address to Congress, now scheduled for July 24.