(cache)Israel, the U.S. and the Politics of 2,000-Pound Bombs

Israel, the U.S. and the Politics of 2,000-Pound Bombs

The U.S. is still withholding some heavy weapons from Israel, in a sign of lingering tensions.

Deep Dive

KHAN YUNIS, GAZA – JULY 13: Palestinians inspect the area after an Israeli air strike against a displaced people’s camp in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, Gaza. Israel said the attack targeted two top Hamas commanders. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Posted: July 25th, 2024

By Elaine Shannon

Elaine Shannon, contributing editor at The Cipher Brief, is a former correspondent for Time and Newsweek. Her latest book is Hunting LeRoux (Harper Collins, 2019).

SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — While the public focus of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week has been on his speech to Congress and his newly fraught relationship with many American politicians, one issue sure to come up when Netanyahu meets with President Joe Biden is Washington’s reluctance to supply Israel with certain heavy weapons.

In May the White House said it was implementing a “pause” on the shipment of 1,800 2,000-lb bombs and 1,700 500-lb bombs over concerns about Israel’s impending incursion into Rafah, in southern Gaza, and “the impact (the munitions) could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza.”

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Israel, the U.S. and the Politics of 2,000-Pound Bombs

The U.S. is still withholding some heavy weapons from Israel, in a sign of lingering tensions.

By Elaine Shannon

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