Israeli ambassador to UN says Jerusalem ‘frustrated’ by US pause on bomb shipment

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations says his government feels let down by the US pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel.

“It’s a very disappointing decision, even frustrating,” Ambassador Gilad Erdan tells Channel 12 news. However, he says he doesn’t think the move signals a broader halt to US aid to Israel.

Erdan suggests the decision stems from political pressure on the Biden administration from Congress, the nationwide campus protests and the upcoming US presidential election. He says President Joe Biden was at once urging people to remember that the war started with Hamas’s attack on October 7, while at the same time holding back “the means intended to destroy Hamas.”

“You can’t win the war without allowing Israel to win it,” Erdan says.

Meanwhile, according to a report in the Axios news site, senior Israeli officials warned their US counterparts that the Biden administration’s decision to pause some weapons shipments to Israel could jeopardize ongoing hostage negotiations.