Israel’s war on Gaza live: Biden admits Israel used US bombs on civilians
Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies – a Washington, DC-based think tank – said the Biden administration’s withholding of the arms shipment to Israel was welcome but was far short of a ceasefire that people around the US and the world are demanding.
“This is an incredibly important move. First of all, every bomb that is held back by Washington means fewer Palestinians will be killed. We’ve seen 30 people killed just in the last 24 hours in and around Rafah,” Bennis told Al Jazeera.
“This is not enough. This notion that they will withhold more of the weapons – artillery shells and others – ‘if Israel attacks Rafah’, does not take into account that Israel is already bombing Rafah. So this is not the ceasefire that people all around the world and across the United States are demanding,” Bennis said.
“It is an important move. It does show how the [protest] movements, the demand for a ceasefire is having an impact on the White House,” she said.
“We have to be clear that the demand for a ceasefire is not being met with these actions. It is important because it is never too little. It might be one life saved with one bomb,” Bennis added.
“These 2,000-pound bombs routinely kill dozens, scores, more than 100 people at a time … And this one [arms] package that was being withheld apparently had more than 1,200 of those 2,000-pound bombs. So that’s not nothing. But it is very far from what is required.”