On Monday, Sen. Thom Tillis led 47 of his fellow Senate Republicans in introducing a senate resolution that condemns the Biden administration for withholding aid from Israel.
“President Biden’s decision to withhold crucial aid to Israel and capitulate to the radical far-left is shameful,” said Senator Tillis in a press release. “Turning our back on one of our strongest allies weakens America’s reputation on the world stage, emboldens Hamas, and runs contrary to our national security interests. President Biden needs to follow the laws Congress passes and immediately reverse this reckless decision.”
This resolution follows an announcement last week from the Biden administration that it had paused a shipment of weapons, which included different types of munitions and 2,000 lb. bombs, according to a report from Wall Street Journal.
The Senate Resolution “condemns any decision by the Biden Administration to halt the shipment of United States made ammunition and weapons to the state of Israel.”
This is the first time since the October 7 Hamas attack and the following outbreak of war that the US has stopped a weapons shipment that was intended for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), as reported by Axios.
At the request of the Biden administration, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed a letter in March that assured that the IDF was using US-made weapons as allowed by international humanitarian law.
The halt to US military aid comes amid concerns following Israel sending tanks into the Gaza side of the city of Rafah, a key border crossing with Egypt.
Due to the October 7 attack by Hamas and the following outbreak of war in Israel, the resolution also: “demands that the Biden administration continue to fulfill the military aid requests from the State of Israel in order to provide the weapons needed to defeat Hamas and defend against attacks from the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies.”
The resolution also emphasizes the long history of the US providing military aid to Israel and the willingness to accelerate the delivery of aid “in times of crisis.”
Finally, among other demands, the resolution: “upholds the commitment of the United States to the State of Israel’s security and long-term prosperity.”
This Senate Resolution has come amidst outbreaks of pro-Palestinian protestors on college campuses across the country, including the recent outbreaks that occurred at UNC-Chapel Hill.