Halting the bombs: Biden’s gamble to rein in Netanyahu

The US president paused a weapons shipment to Israel, piling pressure on Israel’s leader to change course. Will it work?

James Politi, Felicia Schwartz and Mehul Srivastava

May 12, 2024 – 9.35am

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In December, US President Joe Biden warned Israel that its “indiscriminate bombing” campaign in Gaza was putting at risk the vital backing of its allies. The war with Hamas was then two months old and at least 18,000 Palestinians had already been killed, more than half of them women and children.

Even so, just two days later, an Israeli cargo plane took off from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Biden’s state, carrying weapons to Nevatim air base in southern Israel, according to open source data reviewed by the FT. It was one of dozens of such voyages that have delivered US arms and equipment to be deployed in Gaza.

Financial Times