Biden's Decision to Withhold Weapons from Israel Stuns Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to "stand alone" if necessary to defeat Hamas, after President Biden threatens to withhold weapon shipments to the Jewish State over concerns about civilian casualties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that his country will "stand alone" to defeat Hamas, if necessary, after President Biden threatened to withhold weapon shipments to the Jewish State over concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza.

"Today, we are much stronger," the prime minister said. "We are determined, and we are united in order to defeat our enemies and those who want to destroy us."

Netanyahu's remarks come a day after Biden said that he wouldn't supply Israel with weapons to attack Rafah, Hamas' last stronghold in Gaza, over concerns about more than one million civilians sheltering there.

"Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers," Biden told CNN's Erin Burnett in an interview released Wednesday.

Biden said the U.S. won't supply Israel with weapons to attack Rafah. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

"I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven't gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem," Biden said.

Biden clarified that the U.S. will continue sending defensive weapons to Israel, such as supplies for Israel's Iron Dome.

Israel has ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from the city. Israeli forces have also carried out what it describes as "targeted strikes" on the eastern part of Rafah.

Biden was criticized for pausing a weapons shipment to Israel and purportedly keeping his decision quiet until after his Holocaust Remembrance Day address, in which he compared Hamas to the Nazis. Israeli critics argue he is now backpedaling from his ironclad commitment to the Jewish state by delaying deliveries of vital precision weapons to Jerusalem.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan said during an interview with Israeli Channel 12 TV news that he believed the move stemmed from political pressure on Biden from Congress, the U.S. campus protests and the upcoming election.

On Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesman Matt Miller addressed Biden's comments and said that the U.S. will "always be committed to Israel's security" and helping the Jewish State to defend against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and threats from other terrorist groups.

"I'm not going to get ahead of what the president said last night. We are reviewing," Miller said. "We have paused one shipment. We are reviewing others. But as the president made clear, we will always be committed to Israel's defense.

"But when we look at a potential operation in Rafah," Miller continued, "the president made clear that we are not going to provide them certain weapons that they could use in such an operation."

The Biden administration's decision to withhold weapons from Israel has been met with swift condemnation from Republican lawmakers, who argue that the move will only embolden Hamas and put Israel's security at risk.

"This is a dangerous and irresponsible decision that will only make the region less stable," said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. "The Biden administration is playing politics with the lives of Israelis and Americans."

The White House has defended its decision, saying that it is committed to Israel's security but that it also has a responsibility to protect civilians in Gaza.

"We are reviewing all options to support Israel's self-defense, while also protecting civilians," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. "We will continue to work with Israel and our other partners in the region to find a path to a sustainable and just peace."

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated in recent weeks, with both sides exchanging fire and suffering casualties. The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire, but neither side has indicated that it is willing to stop fighting.