US President Joe Biden prepared to stop aid to Israel.

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Last week, the US chose, under some secrecy, to press the pause button on an arms delivery to Israel.

Now President Joe Biden chooses to speak plainly.

If Israel enters densely populated areas in Rafah, the US will stop the supply of offensive weapons. Then there will be no more bombs and artillery shells.

– I have made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet – they will not have our support if they continue to densely populated areas, Joe Biden said in an interview on CNN last night.

“Bibi” is a nickname for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who has an increasingly strained relationship with the White House.

Joe Biden stood wholeheartedly behind Israel after the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7 last year. But his party – the Democrats – is deeply divided. Many young and progressive voters are critical of Israel’s bombings.

Joe Biden climbs into his Marine One helicopter en route from Andrews Air Force Base. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP

As recently as in a speech on Tuesday, the American president emphasized that it was Hamas that unleashed the terror and “brutalized” the Israelis. He also sharply criticized the harassment of Jewish students at American universities.

Now he addresses Netanyahu.

In the interview on CNN, he admits that the military aid from the United States has contributed to the suffering of the civilian population.

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of these bombs and other ways they go into densely populated areas,” Biden said.

The message from the White House does not mean a total stop to military cooperation. On the contrary, the US will continue to support Israel’s defense and the Israeli Iron Dome anti-aircraft robotic system.

– We will continue to make sure that Israel is safe, said Biden.

The Republican leaders in the Senate and the House of Representatives, Mitch McConnell and Mike Johnson, criticize the announcement and question whether Biden lives up to the promise to stand firmly behind Israel.