The Biden administration is withholding weapons systems from Israel; Netanyahu to address Congress in a few weeks
The Biden administration continues to engage with the world in its usual fashion:
The Biden administration has held up transfers of seven weapon systems to the Jewish state, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Shannon Bream on the program Fox News Sunday.
“This is what is most disturbing to me—is that we’re withholding weapon systems that I have signed off on and Congress has appropriated with the intent of sending those weapons to Israel,” McCaul said.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the US Congress on July 24. Nine years ago when he did the same in connection with Obama’s disastrous Iran deal, sixty Democrats boycotted his address. Now, with Israel at war in the fight of its life, more Democrats will almost certainly refuse to attend:
Many are torn between their long-standing support for Israel and their anguish about the way Israel has conducted military operations in Gaza. …
While some Democrats are saying they will come out of respect for Israel, a larger and growing faction wants no part of it, creating an extraordinarily charged atmosphere at a gathering that normally amounts to a ceremonial, bipartisan show of support for an American ally.
They’re “torn” about the optics, actually, in an election year in which many Democratic voters have expressed anti-Israel and anti-Jew sentiments.
The invitation was tendered by Speaker Johnson and the Republicans. There is no plan for Biden and Netanyahu to meet during the visit.
More:
A large portion of the Congressional Progressive Caucus — lawmakers who are among the most critical of Israel’s handling of the war — is expected to skip. Among them is Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the caucus, who told The Associated Press that it was a “bad idea,” to invite Netanyahu.
“We should be putting pressure on him by withholding offensive military assistance so that he sticks to the deal that the president has laid out,” she said.
Netanyahu’s visit is expected to draw significant protests and some members of Congress are planning an alternative event.
I wonder what kind of security is planned to deal with those “significant protests.”
The boycott will be a good thing — the anti-Israel/anti-Semitic members of Congress will unequivocally identify themselves.
It will be interesting see how many black members of Congress boycott the speech. I hope someone keeps track of how many, and who. It’s well past time to rip the mask off of black antisemitism.
IrishOtter49:
Racial distinctions are unhelpful in discussing this and most other topics. Individuals are responsible for their actions regardless of background.
Which brings me to Pramila Jayapal, who has chosen an ugly course in life – possibly as a way of matching her physical ugliness. She deserves pity for the latter, but not the former. To be clear, other women of Jayapal’s ethnicity are mostly pleasant and attractive. Unfathomable are the winds of karma. Pramila may have taken part in an unspeakable horror on her path to this life – a cautionary example for us all.
On a similar note, and speaking of karma, Jill Biden should be careful.
many of these people take ocasio cortez or warnock, or ro khanna, they are leftists first and whatever their pigment is secondary, i mean eric Swalwell what is the point,
Bibi is a strong oak, maybe a cedar, up against forces that would befell a weaker man,Begin was strong until his wife passed on, and Sharon, probably gave up the fight,
even before his illness, I never quite stood the hatred for Shamir, back in the 80s, among the intelligentsia, I should say so called,
his unwillingness to suffer fools, and there are so many of them out there, in academia in media in the policy circles, take william bulliet, tom friedman and paul pillar, to cite one of each, the last two were noted by a Israeli stringer for the times, as chronically wrong,
The Israelis should be glad to have Netanyahu now, when the issue is survival. I suspect that the leftist campaign to bring him down encouraged Hamas and Iran in their attack.
Banned Lizard:
Is it “unhelpful” to discuss Palestinians in the same context?
Miguel?
its the bar scene from mos eisely, some are more ugnaught then others,
The security question is a good one.
”I suspect that the leftist campaign to bring him down encouraged Hamas and Iran in their attack.”
Not only that, I suspect it drew their intelligence community’s focus away from Hamas and Hezballah.
I do wonder how much of the current anti Israel rhetoric will cool down SOME once the main part of the Gaza operation is over?
But then what?
did it cool down between 2014 and 2021, between 2007 and 2012, no of course not, in fact that was the era of the goldstone report
https://www.ynetnews.com/category/3089#hk00vfbepr
Just listening to Fox News. Israel has warned Khan Yunis, Gaza, residents to evacuate, indicating a renewed operation in that city is imminent. Expect more “genocide” squeals from the US left.
What weapon systems? Biden keeps talking about 2k lb bombs, although of course he’s gaslighting.
Thanks, Kate, for the uplifting update.
In addition, the IDF just destroyed a major Islamic Jihad missile production site outside Rafah.
There is no plan for Biden and Netanyahu to meet during the visit.
That’s good. Biden’s not programmed to receive, and anything he transmits to Netanyahu might as well be in Celtic for all the meaning it carries.
”What weapon systems?”
Weapons and ammunition like the JDAM and SDB are Israel’s most immediate concern. Long term, he’s holding back the F-15EX, which is the second-best air-to-air fighter in the world, behind only the F-22, which is not for sale to anyone.