Republican senators on Sunday harshly criticized President Biden for withholding weapons from Israel, claiming he inadvertently “strengthened” the terrorist group Hamas.
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska) said the Biden administration’s decision to withhold high explosives from Israel “just shows their incompetence.” He also compared the current conflict with Hamas to Biden’s handling of Afghanistan, saying it was “completely mishandled.”
Ricketts, who is also a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in part on the Fox Report, “So the administration said it had a solid friendship with Israel, but now it’s showing that that doesn’t mean much.” ” he said. John Scott. “Secretary” [Antony] Blinken was talking about how we need to give them a better way. A better way, like in Afghanistan. Did it work? He’s looking for a reliable plan to protect the civilians, and if it comes up and bites them in the back, they won’t know about the reliable plan. These people are completely incompetent and completely mismanaged this issue. ”
The Republican also said the president’s tactics are playing into the hands of terrorists, saying, “Hamas was negotiating to come up with a ceasefire to return the hostages. Then Biden announced he would withhold weapons. And Hamas “Well, it’s like my hand.” Why negotiate now when it has just been strengthened? ”
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Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska said Biden’s decision to withhold high-capacity bombs from Israel and the administration’s efforts to stop Israel’s invasion of Rafah “just shows their incompetence.” Stated. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ricketts’ comments come as Biden calls for a ground invasion of Rafah, Gaza’s southern city, where more than 1 million Palestinians who were evacuated from other parts of the Gaza Strip during Israel’s war with Hamas currently live. It was issued after requesting that it not be done.
Regarding Israel’s Rafah attack, the Nebraska Republican argued that the Jewish state was cautious about avoiding civilian deaths.
“There are four or five. [Hamas] The battalion remained in Rafah. They all have to be destroyed,” Ricketts said, adding, “The leaders need to be killed. And frankly, Israel has done everything I can think of in terms of avoiding civilian casualties. We are doing more than any other country.”
Biden’s own threat to withhold offensive aid from Israel has drawn widespread criticism, including from the House Oversight Committee, which has launched an investigation into whether the president broke the law.
“The idea of cutting off military aid to our allies, our only true allies in this entire region, is absolutely ridiculous. It’s beyond me that anyone would do that.”— Then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in a 2019 PBS interview
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Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) questioned both the decision-making process and the timing of the announcement itself in a letter to President Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan. It showed.
He also requested Congressional briefings from the White House National Security Council, as well as communications and other documents related to talks on suspending all types of aid to Israel, due by May 24. Ta.
Ricketts also compared the current conflict with Hamas to Biden’s response to Afghanistan, which he said was “totally mismanaged, too.” (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“The committee is motivated by the Biden administration’s political maneuvering to provide U.S. taxpayer-funded aid to Israel,” Comer wrote in a letter signed by Republicans on the oversight committee. I am very cautious about this,” he said. “On May 9, 2024, President Biden publicly announced that Israel would not supply offensive weapons that could be used to attack Rafah, Hamas’ last major stronghold in Gaza.”
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“Further reports indicate that the National Security Council actively kept this information public for several days to prevent news of the decision from becoming known when President Biden gave a speech touting aid for Israel on Holocaust Remembrance Day. It has been shown that the committee chose to hide from the scene the legal justification for withholding essential supplies from Israel in the fight against Hamas terrorists who have taken Israelis and Americans hostage. We are also seeking documentation and information related to this decision, including:
Former President Trump and several allies in Congress have accused Biden of initiating a payback with Israel. (Chris Kleponis/Polaris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Former President Trump and several allies in Congress have accused Mr. Biden of quid pro quo deals with Israel, or conditioning or withholding aid to Israel in order to change foreign policy. Trump was impeached for threatening to withhold funds from Ukraine, but ultimately the funds were not withheld.
FOX News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
