President Joe Biden announced $1 billion in weapons will be released to Israel. This announcement comes amid vocal criticism of the White House’s decision to hold up the delivery of approximately 3,500 precision-guided bombs to the Israel Defense Force (IDF). All precision-guided munitions provide for not killing innocent civilians. Hitting targets with absolute accuracy helps ensure the enemy is destroyed and prevents significant collateral damage.
Still No Precision Weapons for Israel?
If the Biden administration were to hold back any weapons, it should be those that are the least accurate. This contradiction in the White House messaging to Israel and the rest of the world has become commonplace at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC. President Biden has approved the $1 billion weapons bundle for Israel, according to The Wall Street Journal:
“The latest weapons package includes the potential transfer of $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds…The decision to proceed with the approval process underscored the Biden administration’s reluctance to deepen its rift with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Rafah operation by restricting longer-term weapons deals with its closest Middle East ally.”
The city of Rafah is the last major Hamas stronghold where four of the terrorist battalions remain. The weapons will not be immediately available to the IDF since Congress has to approve the delivery. That should be an easy sell. Though some anti-Israel liberals will object, the tide of congressional support remains with Israel. The pro-Israel legislators have been vocal in their encouragement of the Biden administration to show greater support for the IDF’s operations to rid the Gaza Strip of the terrorist organization. “Republican lawmakers have seized on the administration’s pause on the bomb transfers, saying any lessening of US support for Israel — its closest ally in the Middle East — weakens that country as it fights Hamas and other Iran-backed groups,” the Associated Press reported.
The failure of the Biden national security team to show the “ironclad” commitment we hear so much about encourages the terrorist organization Hamas continuing to attack the IDF. Additionally, the mixed messages coming from the White House on the struggle Israel is having rooting out and destroying Hamas and other vicious Palestinian terrorist groups prompts pro-Palestinian and Hamas sympathizers in the US to persevere on university campuses and in the streets of American cities.
A recent statement by Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is a perfect example. Sullivan explained: “This is a war between the state of Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, whose mission is to annihilate Israel and kill as many Jews as it can.” If this is the case, why would the US not want to provide all the support it can for its most ardent ally in the Middle East? Furthermore, with Hamas designated a terrorist group, why isn’t the US going after them, as well? US troops eliminated ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Sullivan continued laying out the Biden administration’s position, saying, “The United States wants to see Hamas defeated and justice delivered to Sinwar (Hamas’ leader). There can be no equivocation on that.” It seems like a strong statement and reasonable position, considering the US has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Conflicting Information
However, the national security adviser takes a detour to explain the Palestinian people in Gaza are caught in “hell,” and the “trauma they’ve endured is unimaginable.” The videos from Gaza are ample evidence that what Sullivan says is true. Sullivan described the “unusual” even “unprecedented burden in fighting this war” because Hamas “uses hospitals and schools, and other civilian facilities for military purposes.” The tactics Hamas uses puts innocent civilians in the “crossfire.” However, Sullivan goes on to say Hamas’ putting their own people in the way as shields doesn’t lessen Israel’s responsibility to “do all it can to protect innocent civilians.”
Israel must do more to protect civilians, and the administration does not believe what Israel is doing is “genocide.” Additionally, the US will ensure that Israel gets the “full amount” of weapons and military assistance authorized in the recently passed supplemental appropriations. Then Sullivan goes off the rails. “We have paused the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities.” But you just said that Hamas uses hospitals, schools, and other facilities and the people who occupy those buildings as shields. Where does Sullivan think these facilities are? They are in densely populated cities. It’s a contradictory message that is not useful.
It’s important to remember some facts about the war between Israel and Hamas. When Hamas started its murderous rampage through southern Israel on Oct. 7, preceded by the launch from Palestinian neighborhoods in Gaza of over 6,000 rockets into Israel, there was a ceasefire in place. Hamas broke the ceasefire. Additionally, the Palestinian people in Gaza elected Hamas to govern them. The Palestinian people did not object or show any resistance to Hamas invading and slaughtering Israeli men, women, and infants. Instead, the Palestinian people offered up their young sons and men to be Hamas fighters. To be sure there are innocent civilians in Gaza who only want to go about their lives but are being sacrificed in Hamas’ bloody fighting. It is the horrific tragedy of war.
Reports from the Gazan battlefield, however, testify to the fact that Israel is making every effort to warn civilians of impending military operations and provide safe passage out of combat zones. When the IDF takes these measures to protect civilians, it places Israeli soldiers in great jeopardy. Perhaps Israel should be given credit for the herculean efforts to keep civilians out of harm’s way rather than penalized by the Biden administration.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
