Republicans are very angry about President Biden’s decision to temporarily stop delivering heavy bombs to Israel, which is making the U.S. efforts to prevent Israel from starting a violent campaign in southern Gaza even more divided.
The U.S. held back about 3,500 bombs that had already been approved for Israel because the White House is increasingly frustrated about the number of civilian casualties in Gaza, and is worried about a potential large-scale Israeli invasion of Rafah, a southern city where over a million Palestinians are seeking shelter.
But the choice to delay weapon shipments is one of the most important actions that Biden has taken to show U.S. influence during Israel’s war in Gaza. While progressives have been calling for restrictions on these weapons for a long time, Republicans responded to the decision with harsh statements criticizing 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 they were “appalled that the administration paused crucial arms shipments to Israel,” accusing Biden of weakening Israeli security.
“Also, this bad policy decision was made in secret and intentionally kept hidden from Congress and the American people,” they said. “At a time when Israel is still negotiating in a sincere manner to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, the administration’s short-sighted, strategic mistake raises doubts about its 'unshakeable commitment' as an ally.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also faced questions from Republicans when he testified in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday morning.
“Does this not send the wrong message to our ally Israel and embolden Iran and Iranian-backed groups?” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas). “We should not be signaling to [our] enemies that our support is conditional.”
Austin responded that the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security remains “strong” and the White House has provided billions of dollars to the country.
“But that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah,” Austin said. “We haven’t made any decisions. We did pause as we re-evaluated some of the security assistance that we are providing.”
Austin reiterated that Israel should not launch a “major attack” on Rafah without protecting civilians and coming up with a plan to protect the civilians sheltering there.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) argued that Hamas and other Iranian-backed proxies are determined to destroy Israel.
“And you’re telling me that if we withhold weapons in this fight, the life-or-death battle for the existence of the Jewish state, it won’t send the wrong signal?” he told Austin during his round of questioning.
The weapons currently 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.
The United States has given lots of money to Israel every year, and the White House keeps sending weapons to Israel for its fight against the Palestinian group Hamas. Recently, Biden approved a $26 billion security package for Israel.
There is mounting pressure on Biden from the left, especially from college students protesting the crisis in Gaza, where over 34,000 people have died in the seven-month-long war.
Alp Sevimlisoy from the Atlantic Council thinks Biden will eventually send the weapons he is holding, but he might be waiting to use this as leverage to urge the war to end sooner.
The Biden administration wants Israel to quickly define the end of its war and is holding back the weapons for now. The munitions will be sent at a time when they won't be seen as connected to any potential military action.
Republicans, who have criticized Biden for not taking a strong stance against the protests of Israel's war, have been quick to take advantage of the delay in weapon sales.
The GOP sees this as an opportunity to attack the Biden administration, suggesting a lack of trust in supporting Israel. However, in reality, President Biden has shown unwavering support for Israel.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations expressed disappointment and frustration at the decision to hold back the bombs.
Israeli soldiers began limited operations in Rafah and ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians. They took over the border crossing to Egypt, which is a crucial source of humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Biden hinted to CNN that if Israel enters Rafah, he will stop selling offensive weapons to them.
Biden emphasized the importance of Israel's security and ability to defend against recent attacks, but stated that in the case of a full-scale attack on Rafah, offensive weapons and artillery shells will not be supplied.
The State Department mentioned a review of other weapons shipments, including concerns over Rafah and the dire humanitarian aid crisis in Gaza.
The Biden administration's policy decisions depend on Israel's decisions, and they do not support a major invasion of Rafah without a credible humanitarian plan from Israel.
With the rising death toll in Gaza, more Democrats are calling for conditions on weapons to Israel, or to only provide defensive weapons. 90 Democrats last week urged Biden to consider halting offensive arms to Israel.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the most outspoken Senator against giving weapons to Israel, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has caused a disastrous situation in Gaza and that Biden was “absolutely right to stop bomb delivery.”
“But this must be the first step. The U.S. must now use ALL its influence to demand an immediate ceasefire, the end of the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of large amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in desperation,” Sanders said in a statement.
But Republicans said Biden has his priorities mixed up when it comes to America’s role in the war. Sen. Tommy Tuberillve (R-Ala.) accused the president in a statement of caving to “the America-hating fringe of the Democrat party.”
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) sent a letter to Biden questioning the holdup of the bomb sales.
“It seems everyone is pushing against Israel when we should be pushing against Hamas,” Ernst told Fox News on Tuesday. “We should not be using our support, our ammunition, our weapons platforms, to leverage against Israel.”
