Biden Nearly Cut Off U.S. Arms to Israel Over 2024 Gaza War, Adviser Says
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 1
Biden Nearly Cut Off U.S. Arms to Israel Over 2024 Gaza War, Adviser Says
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 1
Summary
Brett McGurk, Biden’s top Middle East adviser, says the president came close in spring 2024 to halting the U.S. flow of weapons to Israel after growing furious with Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war.
McGurk recounts Biden as “red like a beet” and ready to “blow his stack,” telling Netanyahu on a call, “You think I’m Santa Claus?” in what he describes as one of the relationship’s most combustible moments.
The account appears in McGurk’s memoir “Brink,” due Tuesday, and offers a new inside-the-room portrait of how near Biden and Netanyahu came to a full rupture during the conflict.
The episode underscores how Gaza became one of the most politically punishing foreign-policy crises of Biden’s presidency, drawing attacks from Democrats who wanted more restraint on Israel and from pro-Israel voices who said he imposed too much.
What hidden legal warnings nearly forced a historic rupture between Washington and its closest Middle Eastern ally in spring 2024?
The 2024–2026 U.S.-Israel Arms Dispute: Domestic Division, International Isolation, and the Future of Military Aid
Overview
The 2024 Gaza conflict triggered a chain reaction in U.S. and global politics. After Israeli airstrikes killed humanitarian workers, U.S. lawmakers pressured President Biden to reconsider arms transfers, leading to a temporary pause in bomb shipments. This pause prompted both domestic backlash—alienating key Democratic groups and young voters—and strategic shifts, as Hamas hardened its stance and Hezbollah escalated attacks. Despite humanitarian benchmarks set by U.S. officials, Israel failed to meet them, yet military aid continued. The resulting internal dissent led to resignations within the U.S. government, while European allies like Germany and the UK imposed arms restrictions, highlighting America’s growing diplomatic isolation.