Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin acknowledged Wednesday before the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee that the United States is holding back arms shipments to Israel over concerns about the ongoing Hamas attack in Rafah.
Austin said, asserting that the Biden administration’s approach to Israel’s security is “ironclad.” Said The United States said it was concerned that Israel might use a large bomb in Rafah and therefore suspended bomb shipments.
“We have been very clear from the beginning that Israel should not launch a major attack on Rafah without consideration and protection for the civilian population on the battlefield. “We have stopped one shipment of large amounts of ammunition,” he said.
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Austin insisted that the “pause” would not affect the $23 billion in military aid to Israel passed in the recent National Security Supplemental Budget.
Austin was interrupted by Code Pink anti-war demonstrators chanting “Liberate Palestine!” And he holds up his red-painted hand.Israelis see ‘red hands’ symbol as a reference to Palestinians lynch Photographed by two Israeli soldiers in 2002.
(via era of israel 2013: “During the lynching of a soldier, [Aziz] Salja was filmed by an Italian television crew as he enthusiastically waved his bloody hand and encouraged the crowd at the scene to cheer. This disturbing image is deeply ingrained in the memories of many Israelis and later became a symbol of the horrific attack. ”)
He said that despite Hamas maintaining its last four battalions in Rafah, the U.S. position remains that there should be “no large-scale conflict” in Rafah, and that allowing Hamas to continue would result in Gaza. He said he could regain control of the country.
Republican senators couldn’t believe it. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Austin and Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, if they would have ordered the atomic bombs to be dropped on Japan during World War II. Graham noted that Israel is fighting a war for survival against Iran and its terrorist proxies, and that the United States is not withholding weapons. Please give to Israel!”
Austin reiterated that the US is withholding large bombs because it wants Israel to use “the right kind of weapons” and that the decision to withhold weapons is not final. .
It did not convince critics.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Austin that the decision to suspend arms shipments was a decision in itself, saying that despite Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields, noted that it is cautious to avoid civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of a recently published e-book.The Zionist conspiracy (and how to join it)‘ is now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
