U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew stated that relations between Washington and Tel Aviv "have not seen major shifts," even after the U.S. decision to prevent the shipment of arms to Israel, noting that "heavy bombs are a key source of disagreement between the two sides." In an interview with Israeli Channel 12, Lew mentioned, "Only one shipment of ammunition (from the U.S. to Israel) has been frozen, but everything else continues to flow normally."
He added that "both sides need to continue discussing issues related to the use of heavy bombs, especially when there is a possibility of using them in densely populated urban areas."
In response to a question regarding President Joe Biden's intention not to provide Israel with offensive weapons in the event of a large-scale ground operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, the U.S. ambassador stated: "What the president said is that he does not believe that launching a large-scale ground campaign in a densely populated area is a good idea, and bombs weighing 2,000 pounds (about 900 kilograms) should not be used in this place."
Lew continued, "So far, the Rafah operation has not reached the area where our disagreements lie. I hope we do not end up having real disagreements." The American diplomat emphasized that "the United States has stressed since the beginning of the war that Israel bears the responsibility for protecting innocent civilians."
