26 Democrats express ‘concern’ over paused US weapons shipment to Israel
Several democrats in the US House of Representatives have expressed deep concern over the Biden administration's decision to pause a weapons shipment to Israel.
"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," the lawmakers said in a letter to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
The signatories include pro-Israel lawmakers Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Ritchie Torres, reports Al-Jazeera.
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Earlier this week, senior US officials said Washington had paused a shipment of "high payload munitions" to Israel amid concerns about its Rafah offensive.
The decision, which comes as President Biden faces growing domestic pressure over his unflinching support for Israel, set off fierce reactions among hardline, pro-Israel legislators in the US Congress.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a US threat to withhold some arms would not prevent Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza, indicating it might proceed with an invasion of the packed city of Rafah against the wishes of its closest ally.
President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to go ahead with such an operation over fears it would exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave. On Wednesday, he said the United States would not provide offensive weapons for a Rafah offensive, raising pressure on Netanyahu.
But in a statement released Thursday, Netanyahu said "if we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails."
