The House Democrats, under the leadership of Rep. Josh Gottheimer, have criticized President Joe Biden for his choice to halt a weapons delivery to Israel and his warning to potentially withhold additional weapons. In a letter addressed to national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday, they conveyed their profound unease regarding the president’s actions.
“We are deeply concerned about the message the Administration is sending to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist proxies by withholding weapons shipments to Israel, during a critical moment in the negotiations,” the letter said.
“Seven months after October 7, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the end of the Holocaust, Iranian-backed terrorist proxies continue to fire rockets and mortars into Israel and at Americans from all directions. At the same time, antisemitism is spreading globally like wildfire. We fear that public disputes with our critical ally only emboldens our mutual enemies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other Iranian-backed proxies. It also buttresses their agenda of chaos, brutality, and hate, and makes a hostage agreement even harder to achieve. Hamas still holds more than 130 hostages, including eight Americans, five of whom may still be alive,” the Democrat Congress members said.
“Just this week, Hamas fired multiple attacks at the Kerem Shalom Crossing, killing Israeli soldiers, forcing a temporary closure, and potentially preventing vital humanitarian aid from reaching innocent Palestinians. Stalling these shipments will allow terror groups to continue stealing humanitarian aid, ultimately putting innocent Palestinians at even greater risk. As the President confirmed after October 7, Hamas must be ‘eliminated entirely,’” the letter said.
“With democracy under assault around the world, we cannot undermine our ally Israel, especially in her greatest hour of need. America’s commitments must always be ironclad.
“We have a duty to continue to equip Israel with the resources she needs to defend herself and crush the terrorists who also seek to do America harm, free the hostages including the Americans, continue delivering critical humanitarian aid to innocent civilians in Gaza, and to stand by our democratic allies around the world. The President’s unyielding commitment to passing emergency supplemental funding for Israel showed the world our commitment. When we abandon these duties, we leave a vacuum of American leadership for our anti-democratic adversaries to fill,” it said.
“We would be grateful for a classified briefing about your decision and to better understand how and when the aid that Congress has authorized and appropriated for Israel will be delivered,” it said.
