Trump criticizes Biden denying Israel weapons

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday blasted President Joe Biden’s plan to deny Israel key weapons if its military fully invades the southern Gaza city of Rafah, accusing Biden of “leading the world straight into World War III.”

“Hamas murdered thousands of innocent civilians, including babies, and are still holding Americans hostage, if the hostages are still alive,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Yet Crooked Joe is taking the side of these terrorists, just like he has sided with the Radical Mobs taking over our college campuses, because his donors are funding them.”

Israeli forces massed tanks and opened fire close to built-up areas of Rafah on Thursday, residents said, despite President Joe Biden’s vow to withhold weapons, including shipments of 2,000-pound bombs that were paused last week. Biden told CNN that if Israel goes into Rafah, “I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities.”

In other developments:

● The U.N. General Assembly will vote Friday on a resolution that would provide more rights to Palestinians and urge the Security Council to approve full membership. The U.S. vetoed full membership last month.

● Israel posted a budget deficit of $3.1 billion in April because of higher spending on the war, the Finance Ministry said.

● CIA Director William Burns returned from Jerusalem to Cairo on Thursday and resumed meetings with mediators trying to secure a cease-fire, according to multiple Egyptian security sources.

Ireland, Spain could recognize a Palestinian state soon

Four European nations are in talks aimed at recognizing the Palestinian state simultaneously as soon as May 21, media reports revealed Thursday.

Ireland Prime Minister Simon Harris told Ireland’s national broadcast station RTE on Thursday that he and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have a “clear plan” for recognizing the state of Palestine but are not willing to reveal a date yet. The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Spain could join Ireland, Slovenia and Malta in announcing formal recognition of Palestine on May 21 to lessen the political impact of the decision. Campaigning for election to the European Parliament begins next month.