Netanyahu stands firm on weapons delay claim as US persists in denial

'I don't understand what that comment meant at all,' says State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller

WASHINGTON:

The US State Department continued to insist that there has been no delay to American arms shipment to Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his criticisms over the weekend.

Speaking during a weekly government meeting, Netanyahu said Sunday there had been a “dramatic drop” in the weapons pipeline to Israel.

“For many weeks, we appealed to our American friends to speed up the shipments. We did it time and time again. We did this at the senior echelons, and at all levels, and I want to emphasise — we did it in private chambers. We got all kinds of explanations, but we didn’t get one thing: the basic situation didn’t change,” he said.

“Certain items trickled in, but the bulk of armaments were left behind,” he added. “After months with no change in the situation, I decided to express it publicly.”

"I don't understand what that comment meant at all in the same way that I didn't understand the comments that we discussed last week when we heard them make similar claims," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.

Just one shipment of high-payload munitions remains on pause pending a review prompted by concerns about civilian casualties, but Miller maintained that Washington continues to supply Tel Aviv with weapons "as we have done, going back years and years, because we are committed to Israel's security."

Read also: US expresses deep disappointment over Netanyahu's criticisms

"There has been no change in that. So I'm not sure what those comments refer to," he added.

On Tuesday, the Israeli premier criticised Washington for withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel. The White House responded by cancelling a strategic meeting with Israel.

Since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip last Oct. 7, the US has provided substantial quantities of weapons and ammunition to Israel, according to both American and Israeli sources.

Over 37,500 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children, and nearly 86,000 others injured, since the start of the Israeli war nine months ago. A Hamas-led attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people and resulted in over 200 others being taken back to Gaza as hostages.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.