Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, increasingly cornered after failing to achieve any of the goals he declared at the start of the war, targeted his country’s most important ally, the United States, in a video message.
Netanyahu, who faces near-daily threats from far-right coalition partners seeking to topple his government, claimed the United States had cut back shipments of arms and ammunition to the Israeli military in recent months, adding that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had given the assurances during a visit to Tel Aviv during his eighth Middle East tour.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s video immediately sent ripples through Washington, with the White House cancelling a meeting with senior Israeli officials scheduled for Thursday.
The Axios publication wrote that officials from the US Defense Department, State Department and intelligence agencies were scheduled to attend the conference, which was cancelled at the last minute. The topic of the meeting was to be about Israel’s arch enemy in the Middle East, Iran.
“This decision makes it clear that this was the result of a conspiracy,” a U.S. official told Axios on condition of anonymity.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s video message also resonated with American politicians who oppose the war in the Gaza Strip.
Senator Bernie Sanders said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked the US for not sending the bombs fast enough. Bernie Sanders, who wants the US to stop sending all weapons to Israel, said Netanyahu’s invitation to speak at the US Congress was “ridiculous.”
Another senator, Elizabeth Warren, has already announced that she will boycott Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress on July 24.
Bernie Sanders, Ro Khanna and Jim Clyburn have all previously announced they will boycott the speech, in a move sure to spark major controversy.
Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the speech to be cancelled, saying Netanyahu is a “war criminal” who should not be on the podium at the US Congress.
