On Monday, the White House rejected reports of the Israel Times and the Washington Post that is offering “sensitive intelligence” to Israel about the whereabouts of Hamas leaders if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to participate in a full-scale invasion of Rafah.
President Biden has warned Israel in recent days not to invade the southern Gaza city, threatening to halt ammunition shipments if an invasion begins.
Four people familiar with the situation said Washington Post The administration is offering information about Hamas tunnels and its leaders’ hideouts if Israel withdraws.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a National Security Council spokesperson said the United States continues to help the IDF attack the Hamas leadership.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said President Biden’s pledge to withhold weapons from Israel will lead to civilian casualties inside Gaza. (Fox News/Getty Images)
“[T]That work continues on an ongoing basis. We do not reserve anything,” said the official.
“We believe [Hamas chief Yahya] “Sinwar should and must be held accountable for the horrors of the October 7 attack.”
Former Trump National Security Council official Victoria Coates told Fox News Digital on Monday night that intelligence sharing is the “foundation of our security partnership with Israel.”
“It’s unique and extremely sophisticated, and if a partner doesn’t meet their obligations, everything is called into question,” Coates said.
“So if the administration has information about the leadership of Hamas, which… is still holding eight Americans – five alive and three dead in Gaza – and is not sharing it with the Israelis and has not shared it with the Israelis, this is deeply worrying.”
Coates, who is now vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s foreign policy and national security institute, said that, if true, the report describes the Biden administration as playing a “political game” versus a battle for the survival of the Jewish state.
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When asked about accusations that the Biden administration has been playing politics with the Israel issue, Coates pointed to Biden’s need to win the youth vote, which he described as more in favor of the Palestinians than any other bloc. of American age.
“That’s what elected Biden in 2020 and prevented the red wave in 2022. So they know they need the 18 to 24 group. And what has been revealed in the last six months is that that group is strongly pro-Palestinian, yes not openly. pro-Hamas,” he said.
“And I think that’s actually the demographic they’re pandering to.”
Ric Grenell, who was Trump’s intelligence chief and ambassador to Germany, called the president’s behavior an “impeachable offense.”
“Let’s be clear, Joe Biden is weaponizing American intelligence to first demand help from Israel to win Michigan, when he should be providing all the information we have to bring home American hostages held by Hamas,” Grenell said. on X, formerly Twitter.
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Meanwhile, Fox News radio host Guy Benson called the report “surreal.”
According to the Post report, Biden and his top advisers also offered to help build food and shelter delivery systems for Palestinians evacuated from Rafah.
The White House has sought to influence the Israelis to carry out only targeted strikes inside Rafah in the face of the threat from Jerusalem, as well as hoping that more granular intelligence assistance to Israel could deter them from major offensives.
In an interview with CBS News on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US government maintains the same goals as the Israelis.
“We want to make sure that Hamas cannot rule Gaza again,” Blinken said.
