Israel is worried about the risk of the US cutting off the flow of weapons

One day after US President Joe Biden warned to stop supplying weapons if Tel Aviv conducts a large-scale operation in Rafah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country is ready to `stand alone` in the campaign against Israel.

`If forced to stand alone, we are ready to do so,` Mr. Netanyahu said, but did not directly mention the United States, Israel’s closest ally.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier this week took control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and Israeli leaders said a large-scale offensive was necessary to `eliminate` the last Hamas battalions in Gaza.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on May 9 that Israel faces a `choice` to decide whether to escalate hostilities in Rafah or not.

`I have made it clear that if they attack Rafah, I will not provide them with weapons like I did,` Mr. Biden said in an interview with CNN.

The US warning became a notable issue in Israel on May 9, when most reporters and analysts warned about the risks and described it as US disappointment with the approach.

The Israeli Cabinet met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and security officials at dawn on April 14 in Tel Aviv.

The US and Israel have had a special relationship since the Middle Eastern country declared independence in 1948. As of last year, the US had provided $158.7 billion to Israel, of which about $124.3 billion was for the military.

According to the 10-year memorandum of understanding that President Barack Obama signed, Washington currently provides $3.8 billion in military aid each year to Israel, not to mention the additional $15 billion in support that the US approved last month.

`The new warning means that Mr. Biden wants to use his only real leverage on Mr. Netanyahu, which is to stop the supply of weapons. It pushes relations between the two countries to a new low, in which Israel’s security begins to

Shalom Lipner, a longtime advisor to many Israeli prime ministers, said the US warning `strikes deep concern in Israel, where people wonder how Mr.

This adviser warned that if the Israeli government ignores warnings from its largest military and diplomatic supporter, it will cause a `strategic disadvantage` for Tel Aviv.

On May 10, the US State Department issued a report criticizing Israel for `possibly violating humanitarian standards when using US weapons`, but said there was not enough evidence to stop transferring weapons.

Israeli officials and analysts say that these developments show that Mr. Biden’s warning appears to be only a short-term political message, and will not affect Tel Aviv’s ability to wage war in Gaza.

`Certainly the country’s defense foundation is shaken by the warning. The importance here, at least in the short term, is that it is just a political statement. It will not affect the campaign in

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have also escalated since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out in October 2023.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant implicitly mentioned the US in comments on May 9.

Many Israeli officials have directly criticized President Biden’s administration, calling his decision to halt the transfer of a shipment of weapons as well as his warning `disappointing and frustrating.`

`The stance of President Biden’s administration is regrettable. I think it will send the wrong message to Hamas and our enemies in the region,` Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the US, said at the Carnegie Endowment for

Images of Israeli soldiers fighting in the Gaza Strip were released in December 2023.

The divisions in Israeli politics and society are clearly reflected in the reaction to the US move.

Benny Grant, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a leading opponent of Mr. Netanyahu, said the United States has stood by Israel in the most difficult times.

The question now is how Mr. Netanyahu will react to the warnings and criticisms given by Mr. Biden and the US State Department.

`Mr. Bibi thinks this is just a yellow card and they will never receive a red card,` said Amit Segal, political commentator for Israeli news agency Channel 12, referring to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s nickname.

Segal said that Netanyahu believes the US President will not go so far as to actually cut off weapons to Israel just because of pressure from conservative and Jewish voters in the US ahead of the November election.

Kupchan predicts that if Mr. Netanyahu accepts America’s request for Rafah, current tensions in relations between the two countries could quickly de-escalate.

`The foundation of the US-Israel relationship is so strong that it will hardly be damaged much by moves like this. But if Israel decides to attack Rafah and the US stops supplying more weapons in the future, it will be a