Israel, America, and the Politics of the 2,000-Pound Bomb

Subscriber+ Exclusive Reports — While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington is drawing public attention, this week Speaking about his new strained relationship with many U.S. politicians and his speech to Congress, one issue that is sure to come up when Netanyahu meets with President Joe Biden is Washington’s reluctance to supply Israel with certain heavy weapons.

In May, the White House said it was “pausing” the shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs over concerns about an imminent Israeli invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza and the “impact these weapons could have on densely populated cities, as we have seen in other parts of the Gaza Strip.”