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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
Biden administration pauses one ammunition shipment to Israel, reason | |
unclear | |
By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN | |
Updated: | |
5:32 PM EDT, Sun May 5, 2024 | |
Source: CNN | |
The Biden administration paused a shipment of US-made ammunition to | |
Israel, according to a source familiar with the matter, who did not | |
disclose why the decision was made. The hold is not connected to a | |
potential Israeli operation in Rafah and doesn’t affect other | |
shipments moving forward, the source said. | |
Asked about the paused shipment, a National Security Council | |
spokesperson cited ongoing security assistance to Israel. | |
“The United States has surged billions of dollars in security | |
assistance to Israel since the October 7 attacks, passed the largest | |
ever supplemental appropriation for emergency assistance to Israel, led | |
an unprecedented coalition to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, | |
and will continue to do what is necessary to ensure Israel can defend | |
itself from the threats it faces,” the spokesperson said. | |
the paused ammunition shipment. | |
US officials have maintained that there is no change in policy toward | |
Israel. And last month, Biden signed a foreign aid bill that included� | |
$26 billion for the Israel-Hamas conflict — including $15 billion | |
in Israeli military aid, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and | |
$2.4 billion for regional US military operations. | |
But US officials remain concerned about a potential Israeli operation | |
in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have been sheltering. | |
The US is currently involved in in the Israel-Hamas war. | |
Over the weekend, Israel and Hamas have remained locked in a even | |
after the latest round of negotiations in Cairo created some cause for | |
optimism. Both sides blamed the other for extreme views, with Israeli | |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taking issue with Hamas’ demand | |
that Israel withdraw from Gaza. | |
CIA Director Bill Burns, who had been in Cairo for the ceasefire | |
negotiations over the weekend, also went to Doha to meet with Qatari | |
Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. He will remain in | |
Doha on Monday, despite previous plans to go to Israel, a source | |
familiar with his meetings told CNN. | |
Burns has acted as a key interlocutor for the United States in the | |
multiparty talks between Israel, Hamas, Egypt, and Qatar over a release | |
of hostages held in Gaza that would be paired with a temporary | |
ceasefire. | |
It’s unclear why Burns’ stay in Doha was extended or what may have | |
changed. Sources have consistently noted how fluid the negotiations | |
over a Gaza ceasefire are. | |
The US has sought to increase the pressure on Hamas to accept what is | |
thought to be the — which would require the group to release as | |
many as 33 hostages kidnapped from Israel in exchange for a pause | |
in — while also trying to prevent the Israeli military from | |
launching a ground . | |
Even with a deal in place, Netanyahu has said Israel could still enter | |
Rafah as it looks to eliminate the threat from Hamas. | |
This story has been updated with new reporting. | |
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