"America must not abandon Israel," Wyoming Republican and former Representative Liz Cheney wrote in an X, formerly Twitter, post about President Joe Biden's decision to withhold a weapons shipment to Israel. The package included nearly 3,500 bombs, according to The Associated Press.
The president's move was in response to the potential Israeli military invasion of the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, according to the AP. The city, which borders Egypt and served as the main entry point for aid.
In a CNN interview with host Erin Burnett on Wednesday, Biden said "civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs," referring to the shipment's 2,000-pound bombs. "If they [Israel] go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah," the President said.
Biden added that, "We're going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of [air-defense system] Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently. But it's, it's just wrong. We're not going to, we're not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells."
In her X post, Cheney wrote that "withholding aid to Israel is wrong and dangerous," adding that not supplying Israel with military aid would "mean victory for Iran and all its terrorist allies."
Newsweek has reached out to Liz Cheney and the White House for comment via email.
The halted shipment is a significant shift in the president's stance on Israel, and the first known instance of a pause in U.S. military support and aid to the country since the 7-month-long conflict began following Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.
As Israel's biggest ally, the U.S. has provided the country with around $300 billion in economic and military assistance since its founding, according to the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
Biden faces increasing pressure over his handling of the conflict, in which more than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed, according to the AP. Nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack, along with nearly 250 hostages taken.
Cheney's stance mirrors that of the Republican leadership. On Wednesday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell wrote a letter to Biden stating "pauses in critical weapons shipments call into question your pledge that your commitment to Israel's security will remain ironclad." The congressmen stated that the weapons halt "risks emboldening Israel's enemies," including "Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists."
Correction: 5/12/24, 6:15 pm E.T.: This article has been updated to reflect the amount of aid Israel received from the U.S. since its founding.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
