Author Douglas Murray has lashed President Joe Biden for doing something which he “always said he wouldn’t do” after he told Israel the US would not provide weapons for a Rafah offensive.

US President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to go ahead with such an operation over fears it would exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave.

Last week, Biden said the United States would not provide offensive weapons for a Rafah invasion, raising pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“That is a very serious development because a lot of the talk … of the media cycle, particularly in the media, is performative,” Mr Murray told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

“But the really difficult thing here is he actually did something which he always said he wouldn’t do.

“He’s always held himself out as a great ally of Israel in its fight for survival … and here he is, in charge, in the White House, withholding arms.”