White House rejects Israeli premier's claims that US withholding weapons to Israel

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House rejected the Israeli premier's remarks Tuesday about the US withholding weapons from Israel, except 2,000-pound bombs.

"We genuinely do not know what he's talking about. We just don't," spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

"There was one particular shipment of munitions that was paused, and you've heard us talk about that many times. We continue to have these constructive conversations with Israelis for the release of that particular shipment that I just mentioned. And don't have any updates on that. There are no other pauses. None. No other pauses or holds in place," said Jean-Pierre.

Her remarks came after Benjamin Netanyahu said the US is withholding weapons to Israel.

Netanyahu said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured him that the Biden administration is working to cancel restrictions on arms deliveries to Israel for a war that has killed or injured well over 100,000 victims.

The premier said when Blinken was recently in Israel, they had a "candid conversation." "But I also said something else, I said it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel," Netanyahu said in an English language video.

US President Joe Biden paused the delivery of a weapons shipment in early May that included 2,000-pound bombs that Israel previously used to flatten wide swathes of Gaza.

His decision to halt the shipment was made because he was concerned about Israel's planned invasion of the southern city of Rafah, which then went forward despite international criticism.