On August 14, 2014, the United States halted a shipment of thousands of Hellfire missiles to Israel. The decision to pause the shipment was a result of a dispute over the high civilian death toll in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict, which broke out in July 2014. Many civilians were killed in Rafah, a city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, leading to international criticism.
The US administration was not only concerned about the civilian casualties, but also about the Israeli government’s use of its own discretion in using the American-supplied military hardware for its self-defense operations. The decision reflects increased tensions between the Obama administration and the Israeli government over the latter’s tactics in its conflict in Gaza.
The suspension did not impact Israel’s ability to conduct its military operations, given it had a significant stockpile of Hellfire missiles. However, the move signaled a growing tension between the US and Israeli governments, regardless of the fact that Israel is one of the US’s closest allies. The Obama administration took this decision to send a message about the limits of US support, due to the high civilian death toll that resulted from Israel’s defensive tactics.
U.S. paused shipment of thousands of bombs to Israel amid Rafah rift
On August 14, 2014, the United States halted a shipment of thousands of Hellfire missiles to Israel. The decision to pause the shipment was a result of a dispute over the high civilian death toll in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict, which broke out in July 2014. Many civilians were killed in Rafah, a city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, leading to international criticism.
The US administration was not only concerned about the civilian casualties, but also about the Israeli government’s use of its own discretion in using the American-supplied military hardware for its self-defense operations. The decision reflects increased tensions between the Obama administration and the Israeli government over the latter’s tactics in its conflict in Gaza.
The suspension did not impact Israel’s ability to conduct its military operations, given it had a significant stockpile of Hellfire missiles. However, the move signaled a growing tension between the US and Israeli governments, regardless of the fact that Israel is one of the US’s closest allies. The Obama administration took this decision to send a message about the limits of US support, due to the high civilian death toll that resulted from Israel’s defensive tactics.
