House GOP presses bill to force Biden to maintain the supply of arms to Israel.
The bill criticises Biden’s decision to delay a bomb shipment over Rafah fears.
President Joe Biden’s decision to halt a bomb shipment to Israel, as well as his warning that the United States will not give weapons that could be used in an attack of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where over a million civilians have taken refuge, has sparked outrage on Capitol Hill.
The House is to vote this week on a Republican-led bill that would require the Biden administration to continue transferring certain weapons to Israel while condemning Biden’s decision to withhold some American-made heavy bombs from Israel.
The Israel Security Assistance Support Act calls for the “expeditious delivery” of defence products and services to Israel and would withhold payments for certain administration officials, such as the secretary of defence and secretary of state, until such articles were delivered.
The bill also recognises Israel’s right to self-defense and urges the Biden administration to enable any previously approved weaponry exports to Israel to “proceed quickly.”
Republican Representatives Ken Calvert of California, Tom Cole, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, and David Joyce of Ohio introduced the legislation.
“Unlike the Administration, House Appropriators will not waver in our ironclad support for Israel,” the co-sponsors stated in a statement.
The House and Senate acted on the people’s will, arming Israel with overwhelming weapons to send a message: the United States and its allies will not quail before terrorist organisations like Hamas.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also criticised the administration, stating that it is “not President Biden’s job to dictate to Israel how they should go about defending their right to exist and deterring violence against their people.”
Scalise stated emphatically that House Republicans support Israel’s war on terrorism and others who threaten its freedom.
The chamber is scheduled to vote on the bill on Wednesday or Thursday.
Regarding weapons supplies, Sullivan stated that the administration “continues to send military assistance and will ensure that Israel receives the full amount provided in the supplemental.” We have temporarily halted the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we believe they should not be delivered in highly populated areas. We are speaking with the Israeli authorities about this.”
“The president made it plain that he would not give specific offensive weaponry if such an operation occurred. “It has not yet happened,” Sullivan remarked. “And we are still working with Israel on a better way to ensure the defeat of Hamas, everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah.”
Sullivan also stated that Biden’s “commitment to Israel is ironclad.”
“Ironclad does not imply that you never disagree; rather, it implies that you work through disputes in the way that only true friends can. That is exactly what we have done for the past seven months and will continue to do.”
