Former US ambassador to the occupation, Martin Indyk, called on Thursday to withdraw the invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a speech before Congress, so that he could apologize for accusing the administration of President Joe Biden of withholding weapons from “Israel,” while the Hebrew media said that Netanyahu prefers a public confrontation with Washington.

Indyk stressed that Netanyahu is attacking the United States “based on a lie he invented,” while Israel is waging a war on four fronts with “Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen, and Iran.”

Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver a speech before both chambers of Congress on July 24, under the pretext that this symbolizes the permanent relationship between the United States and Israel, and will give him the opportunity to share “his government’s vision of defending democracy, combating terrorism, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” according to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Indyk's statements came after a conference by Netanyahu last Tuesday in which he attacked the United States, saying, "It is unreasonable for the US administration over the past few months to withhold weapons and ammunition from Israel, which is the United States' closest ally, fighting for its life, and fighting Iran and our other common enemies."

Netanyahu called on the US administration to lift the restrictions imposed on military support for “Israel”, with the aim of completing the mission faster, as he put it, without referring to the type and quantity of weapons that the United States is withholding.

He also said that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken assured him that the Biden administration is working to cancel restrictions imposed on arms shipments to Israel, which Blinken refused to confirm.

Last May, the Biden administration halted a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs due to concerns about the impact they could have in densely populated areas, but Israel is still scheduled to receive billions of dollars in American weapons.

For his part, Blinken said after Netanyahu's conference that "weapon shipments, with the exception of a large bomb shipment, are moving forward given that Israel faces security threats from outside the Gaza Strip, such as Hezbollah and Iran," noting that Washington is keen to ensure that "Israel has enough for defense itself."