Stopping arms deliveries to Israel is a political game: ‘You need something like the US’ | War Israel and Hamas

Een Israëlische grondaanval op het dichtbevolkte Rafah hangt al tijden in de lucht. Volgens Israël is de stap cruciaal in de oorlog tegen Hamas. Andere landen wijzen vanwege de op de risico’s op vele burgerslachtoffers bij een grote aanval, ook bondgenoten zoals Nederland en de Verenigde Staten.

Rafah was voor de oorlog al erg dichtbevolkt. Nu verblijven er ook ongeveer een miljoen Gazanen van elders in de Gazastrook. Volgens de VN zijn inmiddels meer dan 100.000 Palestijnen Rafah ontvlucht.

Toch is Israël opgerukt richting die stad, die inmiddels volgens persbureau Reuters deels omsingeld is door het Israëlische leger.

De Amerikaanse president Joe Biden maakte woensdag bekend bepaalde bommen en artilleriemunitie niet meer te leveren aan Israël. “Als ze Rafah binnenvallen, ga ik niet de wapens leveren die tot nu toe zijn gebruikt in Rafah en in de steden”, zei Biden. “Er zijn in Gaza mensen gedood met dit soort bommen.”

De waarschuwing van Biden aan Israël kwam na de bekendmaking van de Amerikaanse defensieminister Lloyd Austin dat een munitielevering aan Israël in de wacht is gezet, wegens het geplande offensief in Rafah. De levering is zeker twee weken uitgesteld.

Het gaat om achttienhonderd bommen van bijna ruim 900 kilo en zeventienhonderd bommen van ruim 200 kilo. Duitsland denkt er inmiddels ook over wapenleveranties aan Israël te stoppen.

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“This is part of a diplomatic game to put pressure on Israel to behave at Rafah,” said defense expert Rob de Wijk. “Public opinion towards Israel is becoming increasingly harsh, so you need something like America.” According to him, the same applies to Germany.

This criticism is reflected, among other things, during protests at universities, which started in the US. Defense expert Patrick Bolder joins De Wijk. “The US must respond and show its own people that it believes Israel is in danger of going too far.”

The reduced supplies will not prevent Israel from attacking Rafah, both experts say. Bolder assumes that Israel currently already has enough stock of the ammunition that it may not currently receive.

De Wijk is more cautious when it comes to the Israelis’ weapons stock. “We don’t know how many they have because we don’t know what weapons the United States has supplied since October 8 (when Hamas invaded Israel, ed.).” This is because deliveries have consistently fallen below the quantities that must be reported to the American Congress.

Bolder expects Israel to enter Rafah by ground. According to him, the country was not planning an attack with large-scale bombings before Biden and Germany’s statements. De Wijk also expects a ground attack, but thinks that Israel initially wanted to bomb from the air. “That poses much less risk to our own soldiers.”

“Nothing is final in international politics,” says De Wijk. By this he means that if countries stop certain deliveries now, they can decide to supply the weapons later. For example, when the Israeli attack on Rafah ultimately turns out not to be so bad in the eyes of allies.

Bolder agrees. “If Israel’s right to exist is threatened by, for example, an attack from the north, the allies will absolutely support Israel.”

It is certainly not the case that Israel is no longer supported militarily at all. Biden said his country is still committed to Israel’s defense.

The US will therefore still supply defensive ammunition for, for example, the Iron Dome, Israel’s missile shield. “We are not turning our hands away from Israel’s security, but we are turning away from the possibility of waging war in that area,” the American president said.

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu responded to reports that his country will not stop fighting. “If we have to, we will fight with our fingernails,” he said in a video message.