New York – The 500 pound (lb) bombs a US official said were “co-mingled” with the shipment of 2,000-lb bombs withheld from Israel are “moving forward as part of the usual process,” according to a statement to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday night.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the release of the shipment of 500-lb bombs.
“We’ve been clear that our concern has been on the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs, particularly in advance of Israel’s Rafah campaign which they have announced they are concluding,” the US official said in a statement to the Post. “Because of how these shipments are put together, other munitions may sometimes be co-mingled.”
The official said that’s what happened with the 500-lb bombs since their main concern “had been and remains the potential use of 2,000-lb bombs in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza.”
Officials confirm shipments continue to move forward
In a statement to the Post, a National Security Council spokesperson said other than the one shipment with the 2,000-lb bombs that has been paused and remains paused, weapons shipments continue to move in due course.
“But we’re not going to get into specifics of every shipment,” the spokesperson said.
The weapons pause was a major topic of discussion when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with senior leaders across the Biden administration last month following a public barb when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the US of withholding more weapons than just the 500 and 2,000-lb weapons.
Defense Ministry active in advocating for resuming shipments
In a meeting with reporters, Gallant refused to discuss the specifics of his conversations regarding the withheld weapons shipment or Netanyahu’s claims that other arms and munitions have been withheld.
“Our relationship, the atmosphere, and the frank way in which we speak, are very important,” Gallant said of his meetings with the Biden administration. “Any obstacles that exist are discussed in closed rooms. I think that this is the way to work between friends and allies.”
The delayed shipment, initially blocked by US President Joe Biden, had become a contentious issue in US-Israel relations. According to N12, the shipment’s approval follows intensive negotiations and diplomatic efforts led by Israel’s Defense Ministry, including the director-general and the head of the planning division, alongside the Defense Minister, who recently visited the United States to advocate for the shipment’s release.