President Biden’s decision to suspend a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel has provoked fury from Republicans, further polarizing U.S. efforts to dissuade Israel from launching a bloody campaign in southern Gaza.
The US has withheld about 3,500 bombs that had already been approved for Israel, as the White House is increasingly frustrated with the number of civilian casualties in Gaza and is concerned about an imminent full-scale Israeli invasion of Rafah, a city from the south where more than a million people Palestinians are taking shelter.
But the decision to curb arms shipments is among the most significant actions Biden has taken to assert U.S. influence amid Israel’s war in Gaza. While progressives have long called for such gun restrictions, Republicans responded to the measure with scathing statements attacking Biden.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and House Armed Services Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said in a joint statement Wednesday that they were “horrified that the government has stopped shipments of crucial weapons to Israel.” accusing Biden of weakening Israeli security.
“Furthermore, this disastrous political decision was made in secret and deliberately hidden from Congress and the American people,” they stated. “At a time when Israel continues to negotiate in good faith to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, the administration’s strategic and shortsighted error calls into question its ‘unwavering commitment’ as an ally. “
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was also questioned by Republicans when he testified in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday morning.
“Doesn’t this send the wrong message to our ally Israel and embolden Iran and Iranian-backed groups?” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). “Shouldn’t we be signaling [our] enemies that our support is conditional.”
Austin responded that the US commitment to Israel’s security remains “steadfast” and that the White House has provided billions of dollars to the country.
“But that said, we are currently reviewing some short-term security shipments in the context of developments in Rafah,” Austin said. “We haven’t made any decisions. We paused while we reassessed some of the security assistance we are providing.”
Austin repeated that Israel should not launch a “major attack” on Rafah without protecting civilians and without developing a plan to protect civilians sheltering there.
Senator Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) argued that Hamas and other Iranian-backed proxies are bent on destroying Israel.
“And you’re telling me that if we hold back our arms in this fight, the existential fight for the life of the Jewish state, that won’t send the wrong signal?” he told Austin during his round of interrogations.
The weapons on standby are 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs, along with Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits that convert them into precision-guided munitions known as smart bombs. Heavier bombs are generally more destructive and can result in more indiscriminate attacks, and rights groups have accused Israel of increasing the death toll from the large munitions.
The US provided billions of dollars in sales each year to Israel, and the White House continued to send weapons to the country in its war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Last month, Biden signed into law a national security package that includes $26 billion for Israel.
But pressure on Biden has grown from his left flank and reached a fever pitch in recent weeks as college students camped out on college campuses to protest the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have died during the 7-month war. .
Atlantic Council Millennium Fellow Alp Sevimlisoy said Biden will likely send the munitions he has, but may be holding back for now to use the influence he has to send a message that the war needs to end sooner rather than later. .
“The Biden administration simply wants Israel to define an endgame and define it quickly,” he said. “These ammunition will go forward. They will simply move forward at a time when it does not appear that this will be confused with any potential operation.”
Still, Republicans, who accused Biden of being too soft on campus protests against the war on Israel, were quick to take advantage of the pause.
“The Republican Party saw this as a very easy way to attack the Biden administration because, on paper, it looks like there is a little distrust in support for Israel,” he added. “But in reality, we have seen unwavering support for Israel from President Biden.”
Israel also expressed its displeasure with the change. Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, told Israeli news station Channel 12 that containing the bombs was “frustrating” and a “very disappointing decision.”
Israel began limited operations in Rafah this week after ordering the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians. Soldiers on Tuesday took over the border crossing that links it to Egypt and is a vital source of desperately needed humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Biden suggested to CNN on Wednesday night that if Israel enters Rafah, it will stop the sale of offensive weapons.
“We will continue to ensure that Israel is secure in terms of the Iron Dome and its ability to respond to attacks that have recently come from the Middle East,” he said, but in the event of a large-scale attack on Rafah, “we will not provide weapons and artillery shells.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Wednesday that there is also a review of other weapons shipments, also related to concerns over Rafah and an “unacceptable” humanitarian aid crisis in Gaza.
“We have always been clear that our political determinations depend on the political determinations of Israel,” he said, adding that the Biden administration does not support a major invasion of Rafah because “we do not believe that Israel has presented a credible humanitarian plan.”
As the death toll has risen in Gaza, a growing number of Democrats have called for supplying weapons to Israel or just sending defensive weapons. Close of 90 Democrats last week urged Biden to consider suspending offensive weapons to Israel.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Senate’s most vocal opponent of arms supplies to Israel, said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu created an “unprecedented humanitarian disaster” in Gaza and that Biden was “absolutely right in stopping the delivery of bombs. ”
“But this should be a first step. The US must now use ALL of its influence to demand an immediate ceasefire, an end to the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of massive amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in despair.” Sanders said in a statement.
But Republicans say Biden has his priorities mixed up when it comes to the United States’ role in the war. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) accused the president in a statement of giving in to “the Democratic party fringe that hates America.”
Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Ted Budd (RN.C.) sent a letter to Biden questioning the delay in bomb sales.
“It seems like everyone is pushing against Israel when we should be pushing against Hamas,” Ernst told Fox News on Tuesday. “We should not use our support, our ammunition, our weapons platforms, to exert influence against Israel.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
