The strained relationship between Biden and Netanyahu is reaching a brand new low

“It’s definitely an earthquake.”

This is how the American diplomat Richard Haass described the astonishing declaration of US President Joe Biden announced that his administration would stop supplying certain weapons to Israel if it carries out a planned invasion of Rafah within the Gaza Strip.

“This was building up for a while, and Rafah was the straw that broke the camel's back,” Haass, a former president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a policy adviser through the George W. Bush administration, said in an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

“There is real skepticism in the government that Rafah will make a deal for the hostages, as the Israelis have said.”

Recent weeks have seen heated back-and-forth between Israel and Hamas, in addition to Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators, trying to succeed in an agreement that will allow a ceasefire between the warring factions and the discharge of the hostages still being held Palestinian militant group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long pushed for an invasion of Rafah – Gaza's southernmost city where greater than 1,000,000 displaced Palestinians are in search of refuge – saying it’s crucial to defeating Hamas and winning the war .

Numerous governments and humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations and WHO, have warned of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of an invasion of the crowded enclave, which has already been ravaged by military attacks, disease and famine.

“I have made it clear that if they invade Rafah – they have not invaded Rafah yet – if they invade Rafah, I will not provide the weapons that were used in the past to fight Rafah and to fight the cities …”that are dealing with this issue,” Biden said in an interview with CNN that aired Thursday.

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of these bombs and other attacks on population centers,” he said, when asked whether the two,000-pound bombs the U.S. is sending to Israel have killed civilians.

The Pentagon confirmed On Wednesday, the federal government suspended delivery of a shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel.

Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated Washington's “ironclad” support for Israel, but Austin told lawmakers that “this is about having the right weapons for the job at hand” and that the US desires to see Israel take “more precise” measures . Operations.

“A small-diameter bomb, a precision weapon that is very useful in a dense, built-up environment,” he said, “but perhaps not so much a 2,000-pound bomb that could cause major collateral damage.”

Netanyahu stays unfazed, saying Israel will “stand alone” and fight “tooth and nail” if U.S. arms supplies stop. Many other Israeli lawmakers attacked Biden and the U.S. over the announcement, regardless that the U.S. is Israel's largest supporter on the world stage and a source of military funding and weapons.

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's far-right national security minister, simply wrote on X: “Hamas.” [heart emoji] Biden.”

Biden's warning marked the primary time that the president, a staunch supporter of Israel and a self-proclaimed Zionisthas stopped or threatened to stop all arms sales to the Jewish state. It can also be necessary to notice that the paused shipments in query should be delivered at a later date and that that is the case reportedly doesn’t apply to the $26.4 billion security aid package for Israel was approved by Congress in April.

Israeli security experts say the pause may have no impact on planned operations in Rafah, while other analysts say the move is basically symbolic but intended to send a serious message. Israeli troops took control of the Gaza side of the vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday, massing troops there and carrying out attacks on some parts of the town.

“Although the Biden administration is withholding critical munitions from Israel to force the delay or halt of Israel's Rafah operation, it is unlikely that this munition was the integral weapon required for Israel's planned operation,” Avi Melamed said , a former Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst, said.

Melamed argued that “Biden's statements embolden Hamas and Iran and endanger US allies in the region,” but he expects “slow and precise” operations by Israeli forces in Rafah, making him consider that “Israel is likely to launch a direct attack.” “will avoid a collision course with the Biden administration’s latest position.”

Clayton Allen, U.S. director at political risk firm Eurasia Group, called Biden's decision “a headline-grabbing move that ultimately has some impact on Israel's capabilities,” but added that it “does not address the majority of U.S. aid or assistance.” really diminishes”. what I can do in the approaching weeks.”

Others praised the move. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said it needed to be a “first step.”

“Our influence is clear,” Sanders said in an announcement. “Over the years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. We can no longer be complicit in Netanyahu’s terrible war against the Palestinian people.”

Meanwhile, the nonprofit organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), which focuses on U.S. policy and human rights within the Middle East, said in an announcement that the Biden administration's “suspendment of massive bombing attacks on Israel is an important but long-standing issue.” “The “overdue step” is “recognizing that Israel has used American weapons to indiscriminately kill Palestinian civilians in violation of the most basic laws of war.”

CNBC has reached out to the Israeli Defense Forces for comment.

Israel claims its war is against Hamas and its forces are in search of to avoid civilian casualties. The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has killed greater than 34,000 people, in keeping with Palestinian health authorities within the besieged enclave. The invasion was triggered by a Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people there and took about 250 hostage, of whom greater than 100 were released.

For Michael Koplow, chief policy officer of the Israel Policy Forum, Biden's warning represents a profound shift and is something that have to be taken very seriously.

“Although Israel appeared to be at a turning point since October 7, it is currently at a truly dangerous point,” Koplow wrote in a column on the forum’s website on Thursday.

“U.S.-Israel relations are increasingly coming to light at the most inopportune moment, and the Israeli attitude that it is primarily the U.S. responsibility to mend these rifts finds few buyers.”