By Carol E. Lee and Courtney Kube -
NBC News
WASHINGTON — The Biden Administration is discussing using arms sales to Israel as leverage to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to heed long-standing calls by the United States to reduce its military attack on the Gaza Strip, according to three current U.S. officials and one former U.S. official told NBC News exclusively.
At the direction of the White House, the Pentagon has been reviewing
what weapons Israel has requested that could be used as leverage
, the sources said.
They added that no decisions have been made.
The sources specified that Israeli officials continue to ask the Administration for more weapons, including large aerial bombs, ammunition and air defenses.
After weeks of private requests from the Administration produced fewer results than the White House wanted, the sources added, the United States is considering slowing or pausing deliveries in the hope that this will prompt the Israelis to take steps, such as opening humanitarian corridors to provide more aid to Palestinian civilians.
Among the weapons the United States has discussed using as leverage are 155mm artillery shells and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), which are guidance kits that convert so-called "dumb bombs" into precision-guided munitions, the US said. officials.
Officials commented that the Administration will likely continue to provide other conversion kits that make Israeli munitions more accurate.
Officials also indicated they
are not likely to delay the delivery of air defenses,
although the idea was considered, as well as other systems that can defend Israeli civilians and infrastructure from attacks.
The Administration is focusing on offensive military equipment in its review of what it could possibly withhold or delay.
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023. Miriam Alster / AP file
Administration officials
have also discussed offering the Israeli government more weapons it has requested as an incentive
to take some measures the United States has requested, the officials said.
The effort comes after weeks of President Joe Biden and his Homeland Security team failing to convince Netanyahu and other Israeli officials to dramatically change tactics in Gaza and take more steps to minimize civilian casualties, officials said. .
It marks a potential shift in Biden's approach by moving beyond rhetorical pressure, largely behind the scenes, and making tangible policy changes aimed at getting Israel to act.
Some Democrats in Congress have been urging the administration to do more to pressure Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council defended the Administration's stance toward the conflict so far.
“As the president has made clear, he believes the approach he has taken has been more effective,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself against the threat from Hamas, while respecting international humanitarian law and protecting civilian lives, and we remain committed to supporting Israel in its fight against Hamas.”
The sources said senior Biden administration officials remain frustrated that
Israel has often ignored their calls to take more care to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians,
citing the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Khan Younis as the most recent example.
That frustration has also intensified recently inside the Pentagon, while
Biden and other White House officials have long been privately exasperated by Netanyahu's handling of the war.
Biden has said for weeks that he has been doing everything he can to get Israel to change its military tactics.
“I have been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to significantly draw down and exit Gaza,” Biden said on Jan. 8 as he faced protesters calling for a ceasefire.
“I’ve been using everything I can to do that.”
White House officials argue that Biden has had some success, although they admit that
Israeli government officials have not yet gone as far as the president wanted.
A senior Administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly, expressed frustration with Israeli officials.
“There is much more to do and we have to be more careful about it
,” the official said.