President Biden\u2019s move to pause a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel has drawn the fury of Republicans, further polarizing U.S. efforts to deter Israel from launching a bloody campaign in southern Gaza.<\/p>\n
The U.S. held back some 3,500 bombs that had already been approved for Israel as the White House is growing increasingly frustrated with the civilian toll in Gaza and is concerned about a looming Israeli full-scale invasion of Rafah, a southern city where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering.<\/p>\n
But the decision to hold back weapons shipments is among the most significant actions that Biden has taken to assert U.S. leverage amid Israel\u2019s war in Gaza. While progressives have long called for such weapons restrictions, Republicans responded to the move with blistering statements attacking Biden.<\/p>\n
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and House Armed Services Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said in a joint statement Wednesday they were \u201cappalled that the administration paused crucial arms shipments to Israel,\u201d accusing Biden of weakening Israeli security.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoreover, this disastrous policy decision was undertaken in secret and deliberately hidden from Congress and the American people,\u201d they said. \u201cAt a time when Israel continues to negotiate in good faith to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, the administration\u2019s shortsighted, strategic error calls into question its \u2018unshakeable commitment\u2019 as an ally. \u201c<\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also came under questioning from Republicans when he testified in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes this not send the wrong message to our ally Israel and embolden Iran and Iranian-backed groups?\u201d said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). \u201cWe should not be signaling to [our] enemies that our support is conditional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Austin responded that the U.S. commitment to Israel\u2019s security remains \u201cironclad\u201d and the White House has provided billions of dollars to the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah,\u201d Austin said. \u201cWe haven\u2019t made any decisions. We did pause as we reevaluated some of the security assistance that we are providing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Austin repeated that Israel should not launch a \u201cmajor attack\u201d on Rafah without protecting civilians and coming up with a plan to protect the civilians sheltering there.<\/p>\n
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) argued that Hamas and other Iranian-backed proxies are committed to destroying Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re telling me that if we withhold weapons in this fight, the existential fight for the life for the Jewish state, it won\u2019t send the wrong signal?\u201d he told Austin during his round of questioning.<\/p>\n
The weapons on hold are 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs, along with the 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 human rights groups have accused Israel of driving up the death toll with the large munitions.<\/p>\n
The U.S. has provided billions of dollars in sales every year to Israel, and the White House has continued shipping arms 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.<\/p>\n
But the pressure on Biden has grown from his left flank and reached a fever pitch in recent weeks as college students camp out on university campuses to protest the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have died during the 7-month-old war.<\/p>\n
Alp Sevimlisoy, a millennium fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Biden is likely to send the munitions he is holding eventually, but may be holding back for now to use the leverage he has to send a message that the war needs to end sooner than later.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Biden administration simply wants Israel to define an endgame and define it quickly,\u201d he said. \u201cThese munitions will go ahead. They\u2019re just going to go ahead at a time where it doesn\u2019t look as though it\u2019s going to be conflated with any potential operation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Republicans, who have accused Biden of being too soft on the campus protests against Israel\u2019s war, have been quick to seize on the pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe GOP has just seen this as a very easy way to attack the Biden administration because on paper, it seems as though there\u2019s a little bit of a distrust when supporting Israel,\u201d he added. \u201cBut in reality, we\u2019ve seen an unwavering support for Israel from President Biden.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel has also expressed its displeasure over the move. Gilad Erdan, Israel\u2019s ambassador to the United Nations, told Israeli news station Channel 12 that holding back the bombs was \u201cfrustrating\u201d and a \u201cvery disappointing decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 connects to Egypt and is a vital source for desperately needed humanitarian aid in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Biden suggested to CNN on Wednesday night that if Israel goes into Rafah he will halt offensive weapons sales.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,\u201d he said, but in the event of a full-scale Rafah attack, \u201cwe\u2019re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Wednesday that there is a review of other weapons shipments as well, also connected to concerns over Rafah and an \u201cunacceptable\u201d humanitarian aid crisis across Gaza.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have always made clear that our policy determinations are dependent on Israel\u2019s policy determinations,\u201d he said, adding that the Biden administration does not support a large invasion of Rafah because \u201cwe do not believe Israel has presented a credible, humanitarian plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the death toll has soared in Gaza, a growing number of Democrats have called to condition weapons to Israel or only send defensive weapons. Close to 90 Democrats last week urged Biden to consider halting offensive arms to Israel.<\/p>\n
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Senate\u2019s most vocal opponent of supplying weapons to Israel, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has created an \u201cunprecedented humanitarian disaster\u201d in Gaza and that Biden was \u201cabsolutely right to halt bomb delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this must be a first step. The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, the end of the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of massive amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in desperation,\u201d Sanders said in a statement.<\/p>\n
But Republicans said Biden has his priorities mixed up when it comes to America\u2019s role in the war. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) accused the president in a statement of caving to \u201cthe America-hating fringe of the Democrat party.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) sent a letter to Biden questioning the holdup of the bomb sales.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems everyone is pushing against Israel when we should be pushing against Hamas,\u201d Ernst told Fox News on Tuesday. \u201cWe should not be using our support, our ammunition, our weapons platforms, to leverage against Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n