Israel's Netanyahu blames Biden for withholding weapons; US officials say that's not the whole story
Jerusalem, Jun 18: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday claimed the United States is withholding weapons and implied this was slowing Israel's offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where fighting has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians.
President Joe Biden has delayed delivering certain heavy bombs to Israel since May over concerns about the killing of civilians in Gaza.
However, the administration has gone to lengths to avoid any suggestion that Israeli forces have crossed a red line in the deepening Rafah invasion, which would trigger a more sweeping ban on arms transfers.
Netanyahu, in a short video, spoke directly to the camera in English as he lobbed sharp criticisms at Biden over “bottlenecks” in arms transfers.
“It's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel,” Netanyahu said, adding, “Give us the tools and we'll finish the job a lot faster.”
Netanyahu didn't elaborate on what weapons were being held back, and the Israeli military declined to respond to a request for comment. Ophir Falk, a foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu, deferred questions on details to the US government.
Netanyahu also claimed that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a recent visit to Israel, said he was working around the clock to end the delays.
However, Blinken said the only pause in sending weapons to Israel was related to those heavy bombs from May, speaking during a news conference Tuesday at the State Department.
“We, as you know, are continuing to review one shipment that President Biden has talked about with regard to 2,000-pound bombs because of our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah,” Blinken said. “That remains under review. But everything else is moving as it normally would.”
The US has given Israel crucial military and diplomatic support since the war against the Palestinian Hamas group began in October. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying group operate among the population.
Two top Democrats in Congress have cleared the way for a USD 15 billion US sale of F-15s to Israel to move forward, after a delay while one sought answers from the Biden administration on Israel's current use of US weapons in the war in Gaza.
With the Israeli offensive now in its ninth month, international criticism has grown steadily over US support for Israel's air and ground campaign in Gaza, and the top United Nations court has concluded there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza — a charge Israel strongly denies.
Both Netanyahu and Biden are balancing their own domestic political problems against the explosive Mideast situation, and the embattled Israeli leader has grown increasingly resistant to Biden's public charm offensives and private pleading.
Months of cease-fire talks have failed to find common ground between Hamas and Israeli leaders. Both Israel and Hamas have been reluctant to fully endorse a US-backed plan that would return hostages, clear the way for an end to the war, and commence a rebuilding effort of the decimated territory.
Netanyahu disbanded his war Cabinet on Monday, a move that consolidates his influence over the Israel-Hamas war and likely diminishes the odds of a cease-fire anytime soon.
The move may also give Netanyahu leeway to draw out the war to stay in power. Critics accuse him of delaying because an end to the war would mean an investigation into the government's failures on October 7 and raise the likelihood of new elections when the prime minister's popularity is low.
Netanyahu denies the allegations and says he is committed to destroying Hamas' military and governing capabilities — no matter how long that may take.
Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 37,100 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians who are facing widespread hunger.
Israel launched the war after Hamas' October 7 attack, in which group stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.
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BAMUL president slams Flipkart over selling milk for Re 1 per litre
Bengaluru (PTI): Bangalore Milk Union Ltd president D K Suresh on Saturday claimed that e-commerce giant Flipkart is selling milk for Re 1 through "investor-funded discount campaigns", accusing it of undermining the dignity of farmers and the cooperative movement built over decades.
He has lodged a complaint against Flipkart before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and also written an email to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking investigation into "predatory pricing" of milk by the quick commerce platform and its impact on dairy farmers and cooperative institutions.
However, Flipkart said in a statement that it periodically runs limited promotional campaigns on select products available on the platform, often in partnership with banking partners, to enhance customer value.
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"Prices of products on the Flipkart marketplace are determined by individual sellers. All dairy partners and sellers continue to receive their full agreed price for the products they supply, and farmer procurement prices are not impacted in any way," a Flipkart spokesperson said.
Flipkart further said it remains committed to working with farmers, cooperatives and sellers across India to expand market access and support their growth.
Suresh, brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and also a former MP, slammed Flipkart for its latest move.
Taking to social media platform 'X', the Bangalore Milk Union Ltd (BAMUL) president said that milk is not a Re 1 flash deal. It is the livelihood of millions of farmers.
"Behind every litre of milk is the sweat, labour, and livelihood of our farmers. Predatory discounting by companies like Flipkart weakens India's dairy cooperatives and hurts farmer incomes," he said.
He urged both the central and the state governments to act immediately to protect the farmers and the cooperative movement.
In another post, Suresh said that milk is not a marketing gimmick. It is the livelihood of millions of dairy farmers who work every day to feed this nation.
"Flipkart is selling milk for Re 1 through investor-funded discount campaigns and is undermining the dignity of farmers and the cooperative movement built over decades," he added, urging public to choose farmers, cooperatives and Nandini, a dairy brand owned by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
Speaking to reporters here earlier in the day, he said that a complaint would be lodged against Flipkart before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) under Section 19(1)(a) over the company's move to sell one litre of milk for Re 1.
He alleged that such competition aimed at capturing the market would hit farmers hard.
"Around Rs 2,000 crore has reportedly been spent on this initiative. It is not appropriate to misuse public shareholders' money in this manner," he said.
According to him, the move could undermine long-standing milk cooperative institutions that have existed since the pre-Independence period.
"Multinational companies are working against farmers' interests. They should clearly state in their advertisements how long they will sell milk at such low prices. Flipkart must withdraw from this move that harms the farming community," he added.
Suresh claimed that 14.5 lakh litres of milk had already been sold under the scheme and advertisements had been issued widely.
"Public money is being invested to attract customers. The company should disclose how long it plans to sell milk at this price," he said.
Responding to a question on whether the sales of Nandini milk had dropped, he said several brands operate in the market and not just Nandini.
"BAMUL's sales have dropped by about 40,000-50,000 litres. We need to ascertain how long this decline has continued," he said.
Asked if other entities were behind the scheme, he said information was still being gathered. "I have seen a couple of advertisements and will also discuss the matter with officials. Under the guise of business, it is not right to ignite a crisis for the farming community," he said.
Suresh said farmers are currently paid Rs 38-40 per litre for milk. "How can they sell it for Re 1? "We need to find out from whom they are purchasing the milk and where it is coming from," he said.
When asked whether farmers should be advised not to sell milk to such companies, Suresh said it was not clear where the company was procuring milk from, including bulk producers.
"We are also checking whether milk powder is being mixed. I have asked for samples and instructed that they be tested in laboratories. If cooperative institutions collapse, the direct impact will be on farmers," he added.
