Blinken: Only one weapons shipment to Israel withheld, everything else moving normally

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken responds to Netanyahu’s claim that the Biden administration is withholding weapons and ammunition transfers, insisting that only one shipment of heavy bombs has been withheld and that all remaining transfers are continuing.

Earlier today, Netanyahu released an English-language video statement in which he called the US move “inconceivable” and revealed that Blinken had assured him in their meeting last week that the administration was working to remove these “bottlenecks.”

Appearing at a Washington press conference alongside visiting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Blinken is asked whether Netanyahu’s account was accurate.

“We are continuing to review one shipment that President Biden has talked about with regard to 2000-pound bombs because of our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah. That remains under review,” Blinken responds. “But everything else is moving as it normally would move… with the perspective of making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against this multiplicity of challenges [it faces].”

Pressed again to answer whether Netanyahu was telling the truth, Blinken responds, “I’m not going to talk about what we said in diplomatic conversations.”