The White House has ordered the Pentagon to lift a ban on the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel imposed by the Joe Biden administration.
President Biden’s decision to halt the delivery of a single shipment of 2,000-pound bombs last May triggered one of the biggest crises in U.S.-Israeli relations during the 15-month war in Gaza.
The 1,800 MK-84 bombs, which had been in storage in the United States, are said to be being loaded onto a ship and delivered to Israel in the coming days.
“A lot of stuff that was ordered and paid for by Israel but not shipped by Biden is now on its way,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Biden imposed the ban on the bombs in protest of Israel’s invasion of Rafah, which has become a political symbol rather than a military operational issue, and has been used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to mobilize Republicans against Biden.
The Biden administration was concerned that Israel’s use of 900-kilogram bombs in densely populated areas of Gaza would cause significant civilian casualties.
“We lifted that ban today,” Trump said of the bombs, adding that they were a long time coming. Asked why he lifted the ban on those bombs, Trump replied: “Because the Israelis bought them.”
Trump took questions from reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday for 20 minutes.
President Trump said he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries increase the number of Palestinian refugees they accept from the Gaza Strip so Gaza can be cleared of rubble.
On his broader vision for Gaza, Trump said he had spoken with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and would speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
Trump said he praised Jordan for successfully accepting Palestinian refugees and told the king: “I would like you to download more, because right now I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”
He said such a mass resettlement of Palestinians “could be temporary or long-term,” adding that the Gaza Strip “has had many, many conflicts” over the centuries.
“Something has to happen,” Trump said, adding, “But it’s literally a place of destruction right now. Almost everything is destroyed, and people are dying there.” He said, “So, I would rather join some of the Arab peoples and build a house somewhere else, where maybe they can live in peace for a change.”
Trump has offered unconventional views on the future of Gaza in the past. He suggested after he was inaugurated on Monday that Gaza “really has to be rebuilt in a different way”.
The American president then added: “Gaza is interesting. A phenomenal location, right on the sea. The best climate, you know, everything is good. You can do some nice things there, it’s very interesting.”
