by Nick Pope
Dozens of lawmakers wrote to President Joe Biden on Monday, criticizing the Biden administration’s decision to halt certain weapons sales to Israel.
More than 100 lawmakers, including Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, have signed a letter sharply criticizing the administration’s decision to withhold access to certain weapons from Israel, which President Joe Biden called on during interview last week with CNN. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators engaged in highly observable protests that called on Biden to withdraw from Israel for several months before the administration ultimately he decided imposing restrictions on military aid to Israeli forces.
“On May 7, it was reported that White House staff had confirmed the suspension of deliveries of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs that they feared would be used in Israel’s last major planned operation against the Hamas stronghold in the city of Rafah.” – wrote the lawmakers. “This move is part of your administration’s pattern of obstructing arms sales to our allies without sufficient explanation and strategic foresight.”
“These delays harm our allies and the defense industrial base and are detrimental to our national security. Our allies and partners must know they can rely on American manufacturing to deliver the equipment and materials needed to protect our national security,” the letter continued. “The world is watching your administration’s extraordinary control over Israel when it comes to arms supplies and foreign policy decisions more broadly, and the rest of the world now believes that with enough contrived public control, the United States will fail our allies.”
The Biden administration is halting shipments of certain types of munitions and bombs, and officials are also considering whether to donate other items such as Joint direct attack munitions systems (JDAM), (*100*) to to CNN. The arms interruption comes at a key moment in the Israel-Hamas war, which began with the Oct. 7 attacks, as Rafah is believed to be Hamas’ last major stronghold in the Gaza Strip. (*100*) to to the Associated Press.
Some critics of the administration’s restrictions, such as a Republican senator from Ohio. J.D. Vanceconcluded that punishing Israel for allegedly killing too many civilians by denying access to more precise and advanced weapons systems makes no strategic sense.
The letter ends by asking Biden to explain the reasons for suspending weapons shipments to a U.S. ally fighting a terrorist organization and to describe a timeline for determining whether to end the pause. Additionally, lawmakers asked Biden to detail any plans that may be in place to assure other allies that America will support them in the face of political pressure.
“President Joe Biden’s appeasement of the Hamas wing of his party and continued weakness on the world stage emboldens our adversaries. This afternoon, along with 104 of my colleagues, I sent a bipartisan letter to President Biden demanding answers as to why he is withholding key weapons shipments to Israel as part of his war against an evil terrorist organization.” Georgia Republican Richard McCormick, who led the effort to write the letter and find co-signers, said in a statement. “Make no mistake; this is nothing more than an attempt by the administration to gain votes in the upcoming elections by turning its back on our most vital ally in the Middle East in times of need. President Biden must make clear that the United States stands with Israel and will ensure that Israel has whatever it takes to finish off Hamas.”
Biden is under pressure from the left flank of the Democratic Party to withdraw support for Israel, as recently demonstrated on University campuses across the country. Dissatisfied voters put “uncommitted” protest votes in numerous Democratic primaries to signal their dissatisfaction with Biden’s support for Israel, and the issue could cause electoral problems for Biden in key states such as Michigana battleground state with a significant Muslim population.
While some elements of the Democratic Party are unhappy with Biden’s support for Israel, others are unhappy with Biden because they see him as wavering on a key ally committed to the war on terrorists. Some heavyweight donors are like that supposedly expressed their dissatisfaction to Biden with his stance, and 26 Democratic lawmakers wrote their own letter on Friday to national security adviser Jake Sullivan to express his concern about the withheld supplies.
Read the letter:
POTUS / Letter to Israel By Nick Pope
– – –
Nick Pope is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
