Why did the United States suspend the delivery of powerful MK-84 bombs to Israel?

The United States has suspended delivery to Israel of 1,800 900-kilogram bombs, possibly MK-84 bombs, considered one of the most destructive munitions used by Western militaries, a senior US official said on Wednesday. This decision comes as Benjamin Netanyahu expresses his insistence on carrying out a ground operation in Rafah, despite Washington’s reluctance.

Is this the end of unconditional American support for Israel? While the government of Benjamin Netanyahu apparently ignored American warnings about the risks to the civilian population as a result of the attack on Rafah, President Joe Biden threatened, on Wednesday, May 8, not to hand over certain weapons in the event of a ground operation in this town located south of Rafah. Gaza strip.

Joe Biden told CNN: “If they enter Rafah, I will not hand them over the weapons that have been used historically (...) against cities,” while the Israeli army claims that it is preparing for a “limited” attack in Rafah and the West Bank. The United Nations says it fears a "bloodbath." It is estimated that about 1.4 million Palestinians, the majority of whom were displaced by the war, are crowded into this city.

The threat formed by the American president has already been partly implemented, according to American officials. Last week, Washington suspended the delivery of 1,800 900-kilo bombs, probably MK-84s, as well as 1,700 smaller 225-kilo bombs.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a Senate committee on Wednesday that less powerful and more precise weapons were needed in an area as densely populated as Rafah. According to the UN, the city located on the border with Egypt has 20,000 inhabitants per km2, a density equivalent to that of the city of Paris within its walls.

“We will continue to do what is necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself,” Lloyd Austin said. “That said, we are considering some short-term deliveries of security assistance in the context of the events unfolding in Rafah.”

Power monsters
In service since the early 1970s, the US Army used MK-84 bombs in Vietnam and later, sparingly, in Iraq and Afghanistan because of their devastating effect in urban areas. According to Human Rights Watch, the Saudi-led coalition also used this type of munitions during the bombing of a market in Yemen in 2016, which caused about 100 civilian casualties.

These unguided bombs have the possibility of increased accuracy thanks to the addition of a guidance package consisting in particular of a navigation system. But in a densely populated environment such as the Gaza Strip, this precaution will not be sufficient to protect civilians.

These 4.5-metre-long bombs, containing more than 400 kilograms of explosives, had a large crater and thousands of fragments were scattered in all directions. Nothing and no one could survive there in a 350 meter radius.

Military experts say that these deadly bombs may have contributed significantly to the heavy human losses caused by the war in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas, nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of hostilities resulting from the October 7 massacre, which left about 1,200 victims.

To expel Hamas fighters, holed up in a complex network of underground tunnels in Gaza, Israel relied on these devastating bombs provided by the United States. According to a New York Times investigation published in December 2023, Israel dropped MK-84 bombs on Gaza daily during the first six weeks of the conflict. On at least 200 occasions, the Israeli military was also said to have targeted areas designated as safe for civilians in Gaza.

For several years, Israel has been in the crosshairs of human rights NGOs, which accuse it of using these powerful bombs on a large scale during previous conflicts in the Gaza Strip.

“These bombs are used to cause extremely serious damage, either indiscriminately or intentionally, to residential areas or civilian infrastructure, which is prohibited under international law. Israel has not respected this, neither during this war in Gaza, nor before.” Jean-Claude Samueler, Director of Amnesty International France, said.

"diplomatic message"

After the American announcement, the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, described this halt in the delivery of 900 kilo bombs as a “very disappointing, even frustrating decision,” during an interview with Israeli Channel 12 TV.

The United States is by far the largest arms supplier to Israel. Last month, Congress approved $14.3 billion in additional arms sales as part of a package that also includes aid to Ukraine and Taiwan.

But this unconditional support has been in doubt since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. Between criticism from Muslim Americans and college occupations, Democrats are concerned about the consequences of the situation in the Middle East on the results of the presidential election in November.

“It is certainly an insufficient first step, but it sends a strong signal to Israel,” emphasizes Jean-Claude Samueler.

This decision represents so far the most dramatic manifestation of the differences poisoning relations between the Biden administration and the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who has remained deaf to American demands for better consideration of the lives of Palestinian civilians. This also comes at a time when Israel has just rejected the truce proposal, and still wants to destroy Hamas by leading an attack on Rafah, which has been presented as the last stronghold of the Islamic movement.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces took control of the Rafah border crossing, vital for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, and ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians. Israeli forces also carried out "targeted strikes" in the eastern part of the city.

The US decision is “a kind of diplomatic message addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, informing him that he has to take American interests into account more than he has done in recent months,” according to an analysis by the Associated Press of Itamar Yaar, a former Israeli deputy prime minister. National Security Council. He added: "At least for now, this will not have an impact on Israeli capabilities, but it is a signal to say: Be careful."

The ball is now in the court of Netanyahu's increasingly isolated government. Indirect negotiations ended without an agreement on Thursday in Cairo in an attempt to reach a settlement with Hamas. And avoiding the greatly feared attack on the city of Rafah.