SENATE DEMS CHALLENGE BIDEN ON ISRAEL
Seek assurances aid won’t fund actions that violate laws
A majority of the Senate Democratic caucus called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to defend his request for $14.3 billion in emergency military assistance for Israel, seeking assurances that the Jewish state has a viable plan for defeating Hamas and that the United States will not be funding actions that run afoul of international and U.S. laws.
In a letter to the president, 24 Democrats and two independents who caucus with them asked for details on how the administration planned to guarantee that Israel was properly mitigating civilian casualties in Gaza. They also asked for Biden’s assessment of whether Israel’s plans to oust Hamas from the Gaza Strip were achievable militarily, whether those plans were taking the fate of hostages into account and whether the country’s plan for governing the territory after the war was viable.
The letter represents the first broad challenge that Biden has faced from members of his own party over his plans to help Israel wage a war against Hamas, through assaults on Gaza that commenced after the group brutally attacked civilians and soldiers in Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 people and abducting about 240.
It was spearheaded by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who has been one of the most vocal senators urging administration officials to address the plight of Palestinian civilians. Signatories also include leading Democrats such as Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the party’s No. 2 in the chamber, and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the chair of the Armed Services Committee, reflecting that concern about Israel’s actions — and Biden’s support for them — goes beyond the progressive left.
The lawmakers’ message comes as the Senate weighs Biden’s request for an emergency $105 billion national security spending package to provide military aid to Israel and Ukraine, as well as to address threats to the Indo-Pacific region and security at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Republican-led House last week approved the money for Israel, but that bill is dead on arrival in the Senate because it includes domestic spending cuts and omits help for Ukraine.
The senators did not threaten to withhold their support for aid to Israel, but their pointed requests for more information and accountability over the weapons they will be asked to approve were further evidence of a shift in tone among Democrats on the war. It has paralleled one by Biden himself, who has become more critical of Israel’s war campaign, which has brought on a humanitarian crisis. The
Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said more than 10,000 people have been killed.
The senators drew a distinction between defensive aid for Israel, for which they expressed unequivocal support, and military assistance that would go toward furthering Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, about which they raised questions.
“We believe the United States should immediately provide Israel with the funding it needs to replenish its defensive systems, including Iron Dome and other air defense capabilities,” the group wrote. “But to better understand the efficacy of U.S. funding that supports Israel’s operations inside Gaza, we respectfully ask your team to provide us with information relative to these two clear U.S. priorities: supporting an Israeli strategy that will effectively degrade and defeat the threat from Hamas and taking all possible measures to protect civilians in Gaza.”
The senators said that they were invested in Israel’s success and that their concerns were rooted in a desire to see Israel avoid the sort of strategic blunders that might worsen its long-term security.
“The attacks of Oct. 7 brought back chilling memories of the United States’ own confrontation with terror 22 years ago,” they wrote. They encouraged Israel to “learn from the mistakes the United States made in our fight against terrorism by focusing on realistic and achievable military goals, and abide by the laws of war, including the protection of civilians.”
The Senate Democrats’ letter also comes amid mounting pressure from the party’s left wing, where lawmakers and activists have been agitating for a ceasefire and condemning Biden for abetting what they charge is a genocide of Palestinians. Genocide is defined under international law as a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, whether in wartime or peacetime. Israel’s leaders have said they are targeting Hamas, not Palestinian civilians.
In the letter, Senate Democrats asked for information about “what specific mechanisms you are putting in place to ensure that Israeli military operations conducted inside Gaza are carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law and to ensure that any U.S.-provided equipment is used in a manner consistent with U.S. law.” They specifically requested an assessment of whether Israel’s military rules of engagement, particularly regarding mitigating civilian casualties, are in line with U.S. policy and practice.
White House officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.