Israeli defense minister sees 'significant progress' on US weapons

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday he achieved "significant progress" in addressing Israel's concerns about the flow of US weapons after talks with top officials in Washington.

"During the meetings we made significant progress, obstacles were removed and bottlenecks were addressed," he said.

Gallant said the progress was on "a variety of issues" including "the topic of force build-up and munition supply that we must bring to the state of Israel."

"I would like to thank the US administration and the American public for their enduring support for the state of Israel," he said.

He was speaking after meeting Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security advisor, closing a trip in which he earlier saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The White House said that Sullivan "reaffirmed President Biden's commitment to ensure that Israel has all it needs to defend itself militarily and confront its Iranian-backed adversaries."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days has publicly accused the Biden administration of slowing down weapons deliveries to Israel, which has been at war in Gaza since an October 7 attack by Hamas.

Annoyed US officials have repeatedly denied his claims and said that the United States had only frozen a single shipment, which included heavy 2,000-pound bombs.

Gallant did not elaborate on the progress and whether the Biden administration agreed to push forward weapons or if it made reassuring explanations.

But on his trip Gallant has repeatedly distanced himself from Netanyahu's confrontational approach and vowed to work through differences with the United States, Israel's vital military and diplomatic ally.

Sullivan also spoke to Gallant about diplomacy to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Biden on May 31 laid out a plan for a temporary ceasefire and release of hostages, but Hamas came back with further demands.

Sullivan pressed for Israel to address tensions in the West Bank including by transferring revenue collected for the Palestinian Authority "without further delay," the White House statement said.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right supporter of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, has called for retaliatory action against the Palestinian Authority after several European nations recognized a Palestinian state.