THE HAGUE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has suspended a shipment of weapons to Israel, including heavy bombs used by the US ally in its campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians.
The comment comes at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues his military attack on the Palestinian city of Rafah, despite the objections of US President Joe Biden.
Here's what we know so far: Which bombs have been banned?
Washington stopped a shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to US officials.
Four sources said the shipments, which were delayed by at least two weeks, included Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which convert dumb bombs into precision-guided bombs, as well as small diameter bombs (SDB-1). The SDB-1 is a precision-guided glide bomb containing 250 pounds of explosive.
These shipments were part of a previously approved shipment to Israel, and not the recent additional $95 billion aid package approved by the US Congress in April.
Why does the United States ban these bombs?
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a Senate hearing on Wednesday that the United States was reviewing “near-term security assistance” “in the context of the ongoing events in Rafah.”
“We have been very clear…from the beginning that Israel should not launch a major attack on Rafah without taking into account and protecting the civilians on that battlefield,” Austin said. More than a million Palestinian civilians have taken refuge in Rafah, many of whom had previously been displaced from other parts of Gaza following Israeli orders to evacuate from there.
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A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US decision was made due to concerns about “the eventual use of 2,000-pound bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban areas as we have seen in other parts of Gaza.” . The official said that the United States carefully reviewed the delivery of weapons that might be used in Rafah.
When was the decision made? Was Biden involved?
US officials said the decision was made last week. Biden was directly involved. Biden personally confirmed the stop in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of those bombs and other ways they target population centers,” he said when asked about the 2,000-pound bombs sent to Israel.
What kind of damage can 2,000-pound bombs cause?
Large bombs, such as 2,000-pound bombs, have an impact over a wide area. According to the United Nations, “the pressure resulting from the explosion could rupture lungs, explode sinus cavities, and tear limbs hundreds of meters away from the site of the explosion.”
The use of large-scale explosives in a densely populated area “is very likely to have indiscriminate effects or violate the principle of proportionality,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said in its 2022 report.
What was Israel's response?
Israel denies targeting Palestinian civilians, saying its only interest is eliminating Hamas, and that it is taking all necessary precautions to avoid unnecessary killing.
After the news spread on Tuesday in Washington, a senior Israeli official refused to confirm the report. “If we have to fight tooth and nail, we will do what we have to do,” the source said. A military spokesman said any disagreements were resolved privately.
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Was it legal for Israel to use these bombs in Gaza?
This is a matter of heated debate.
International humanitarian law does not explicitly prohibit aerial bombardment in densely populated areas, but civilians may not be targeted, and the specific military objective must be proportionate to the potential civilian casualties or damage.
What does the International Criminal Court say?
The statute of the International Criminal Court, which is investigating the war between Israel and Gaza, makes it a war crime to intentionally launch an attack when it is known that civilian deaths or harm would be “manifestly excessive” in relation to any direct military advantage.
Has the United States blocked military aid to Israel before?
Yes, in 1982. President Ronald Reagan imposed a six-year ban on cluster weapons sales to Israel after a congressional investigation found that Israel had used the weapons in populated areas during its 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
Israel's use of American-made cluster bombs was subject to review under US President George Bush due to concerns about their use during the 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.