On Wednesday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Israel is committed to deterring Iran and Hezbollah and preventing conflicts in the Middle East. He said it was necessary to have weapons to prevent the spread. Whether aid to Israel should be made conditional “negotiates”.
“Iran and Hezbollah also threaten Israel in various regions, and giving them the ability to deter those threats is part of the way to stop the war from escalating,” Smith said. .
After the discussion then turned to selling F-15s to Israel, Smith said he supported the sale, saying, “Iran and Hezbollah are desperately trying to destroy Israel from the other side. Many of the weapons it has are intended to give Israel the ability to deter that threat. Hezbollah is much better armed than Hamas, and certainly so is Iran. Fighters like this and other military Equipment [are] This is to prevent Hezbollah attacks. ”
Then host Blake Berman interjected and asked, “In your opinion, should there be any conditions on aid?”
Mr. Smith replied: “I think we need to continue to put pressure on Israel to end settlement expansion in the West Bank and create a path to autonomy and, ultimately, a state for the Palestinian people. I think that’s what the Biden administration has done. I think they should move forward. Conditioning is hard. Is that going to move forward? That’s something we need to negotiate.”
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