The U.S. House of Representatives voted 224-187 to pass a law that would force Joe Biden, the President of the United States to send weapons to Israel. This is because the Administration has undermined the Jewish State by refusing to provide certain weapons in their fight against Hamas. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has refused to bow down and fight in Rafah under Hamas control as Biden demands. This is despite his continued threats.
The bill is unlikely to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate, and Biden will veto it. However, it is a strong rebuke by the GOP – and the 16 Democrats that joined them – of Biden’s inconsistent Israel policies which have pleased almost nobody. The right accuses him of sabotaging Netanyahu while the crazed, leftist students on campus across the nation claim that the president is a genocide supporter.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, said the measure sent a powerful message.
My statement on House passage of the Israel Security Assistance Support Act:
The Biden Administration’s decision to withhold weapons is catastrophic and goes directly against the will of Congress. With the passage of the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, we send a clear…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 16, 2024
Tweet continues:
We send a strong message of support and solidarity to Israel with the passage of the Israel Security Assistance Support Act and we demand that defense weapons be delivered urgently to our most important Middle East ally.
Schumer and the President have betrayed our closest ally by refusing to allow this legislation to come to a Senate vote. It’s even more alarming that 184 House Democrats joined them to support the radical, pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party. The urgent need for security assistance to Israel cannot be delayed.
The two sides threw a lot at each other in the lead-up to the election:
Republicans accuse Biden of turning away from Israel in the face of widespread pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
“This is an extremely bad decision that has global implications.” “This is a political decision, and we can’t let it stand,” Republican House speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference on Wednesday with other leaders of the party.
Democrats accused Republicans of distorting Biden’s position on Israel.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a press conference held before the vote that the bill was not serious.
Israel has been a major beneficiary of U.S. Military Assistance for decades. Despite the delay in one shipment of bombs weighing 2,000 pounds (907 kg) and 500 pounds, and the review by the Biden Administration of other weapons shipments, Israel is still expected to receive billions of U.S. dollars worth of weaponry.
It does send a strong message but it is unfortunately without teeth. Biden is likely to continue attacking Israel until he decides that he will get more votes if he supports them. It doesn’t appear to matter whether he’s right or wrong.
