A former aide to President Biden has labelled Benjamin Netanyahu “ungrateful” after the Israeli prime minister criticised the arms embargo placed on the Jewish state under the previous administration.
During a rare press conference on Tuesday, Netanyahu alleged that the embargo led to the deaths of a number of IDF soldiers.
He told reporters that “heroes fell” as a result of a lack of ammunition, adding: “Part of that absent ammunition was because of the embargo.”
The US temporarily halted some arms exports to Israel in 2024 over concerns about their use in the Gaza War, particularly allegations of use of US-made arms against civilians, though these were later restarted.
Washington also stopped sending certain equipment, such as 134 D9 bulldozers, due to their alleged use in home demolitions in the West Bank.
Responding to Netanyahu’s comments, former White House advisor Amos Hochstein told Axios: “Netanyahu is both not telling the truth and ungrateful to a president that literally saved Israel at its most vulnerable moment.”
In remarks on social media, he continued: “After more than $20 billion military support, the largest in Israeli history, two aircraft carriers rushed to the region, deterring a massive regional war, defeating Iran missile/drone attack x2, defending Israel at its most vulnerable moments, after SAVING countless lives of Israelis.
“The only acceptable response to President Biden and the American people is THANK YOU.”
And Hochstein’s former colleague, Brett McGurk, told Axios: “That statement by Netanyahu is categorically false.
"Biden left office with a ceasefire in Gaza and hostages coming home, a ceasefire in Lebanon with Hezbollah defeated, Iran in its weakest position since 1979 after two failed missile attacks thanks to the deployment of US military forces and a coordinated response that destroyed Iran’s air defences.
"His commitment to Israel’s security, including US military assistance, was unwavering throughout the crisis.”
Meanwhile, during the same news conference, Netanyahu launched a strident criticism of Saudi Arabia, accusing the Kingdom of allying with Israel’s enemies on the world stage.
Relations between the two countries have been growing steadily closer, particularly given their common enmity towards Iran, and there was speculation of potential diplomatic normalisation prior to October 7.
But Saudi Arabia’s long history of anti-Zionist foreign policy and support for the Palestinian cause, as well as its close cooperation with Turkey and rivalry with the UAE – a close Israeli ally - continues to fuel scepticism in Jerusalem.
“We expect from anybody who wants normalisation or peace with us that they not participate in efforts steered by forces or ideologies that want the opposite of peace,” said Netanyahu.
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