An NBC News report released Jan. 28 claimed that the White House is discussing ways to influence Israel’s Netanyahu government to rein in its military assault on Gaza. Citing three current and one former U.S. official who spoke anonymously, the report claims: “At the direction of the White House, the Pentagon has been reviewing what weaponry Israel has requested that could be used as leverage, said the sources. They said no decisions have been made.”
After weeks of Israel’s obvious ignoring of U.S. requests to change policy, “the U.S. is considering slowing or pausing the deliveries in the hope that doing so will prod the Israelis to take action, such as opening humanitarian corridors to provide more aid to Palestinian civilians.”
The weapons currently being discussed for being “slowed” are 155mm artillery rounds and joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs), which are guidance kits used to convert dumb bombs into precision-guided ones.
