Rethinking Israel's dependence on US arms amid change in US public opinion

• Published date: 08 March 2024
• Author: HERB KEINON
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The deaths triggered a debate over IDF tactics: why were IDF troops sent to clear out buildings when those same buildings could be leveled from the air

Two answers were proffered. The first was that most buildings can only be rendered completely unusable if destroyed by explosives planted by soldiers on the ground. The second was that the IDF preferred to use explosives or artillery shells to destroy buildings to preserve the type of bomb that would be needed for other operations.

In other words, the IDF is carefully monitoring its supply of bombs and munitions because this is turning into a prolonged war – after the War of Independence and the Second Lebanon War, this is the third-longest war the country has ever fought, with perhaps an even more lethal war around the corner in Lebanon.

Simply and starkly put, Israel does not want to run out of bombs.

Managing the country's supply of munitions seems, to many, a throwback to a bygone era, to the pre- and early-state days when Israeli arms procurers scampered around the world looking for machine guns, mortars, and refitted fighter planes.

Hasn't Israel moved past that? Doesn't the country now have an advanced military-industrial complex, turning out some of the most sophisticated weapons systems in the world? Didn't Germany just sign a multibillion-dollar contract to buy the Arrow 3?

The answer to all these questions is yes.

But still, the Jewish state is not arms self-sufficient; it does not have an endless supply of bombs, assault rifles, night-vision equipment, and bullets. This is why US President Joe Biden's announcement at the beginning of the war that the US would ensure that Israel has the military wherewithal to defeat Hamas was so significant.

"My administration has been in close touch with your leadership from the first moments of this attack, and we are going to make sure you have what you need to protect your people, to defend your nation," he said on October 18 during his visit to Israel.

Those were not just empty words, and the US has kept up an airlift of arms to Israel, which has allowed the country to continue defending itself against Hamas.

Increasingly, however, voices are being raised in the US questioning this policy. Increasingly, as well, the administration seems to be paying more attention to those voices.

First came calls in Congress, as the ground incursion pressed on in Gaza last year, calling for conditions to be placed on military aid to Israel. Then came outcries when Biden...