President Joe Biden and administration officials encouraging Israel to wind down Gaza offensive courant.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courant.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Biden Administration notified Congress of a proposed U.S. weapons sale to Israel worth $735 million before the deadly attacks began between Hamas and Israel. The sale of weapons is now being reviewed by Congress as the far Left and the Biden Administration are split on whether Israel has a right to defend itself from the rocket attacks led by Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas.
On May 10th, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and long-time supporter of Israel, Representative Gregory Meeks tweeted out:
Hamas’ attacks into Israel are terrorism, plain and simple. It must stop immediately.
However, only seven days later, the chairman changed his mind. Rep. Meeks is sending a letter to the Biden Administration soon requesting a DELAY in the sale of $735 million in missiles to Israel to protect their own citizens. What radically changed in seven days? Did his far-Left colleagues influence him?
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As the worst Israeli-Palestinian fighting since 2014 raged, the Biden administration has limited its public criticisms to Hamas and has declined to send a top-level envoy to the region. It also had declined to press Israel publicly and directly to wind down its latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, a 6-by-25-mile territory that is home to more than 2 million people. Cease-fire mediation by Egypt and others has shown no sign of progress.
Separately, the United States, Israel’s top ally, blocked for a third time Monday what would have been a unanimous statement by the 15-nation United Nations Security Council expressing “grave concern” over the intensifying Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the loss of civilian lives. The final U.S. rejection killed the Security Council statement, at least for now.
US lawmakers plead to evacuate Afghan allies before pullout
By AFP - May 19,2021 - Last updated at May 19,2021
In this photograph taken on March 25, Afghan national army soldiers unload food items and petrol oil from an Afghan Air Force Black Hawk helicopter at the hydroelectric Kajaki Dam in Kajaki, northeast of Helmand province, Afghanistan (AFP photo)
WASHINGTON US lawmakers pleaded on Tuesday for the evacuation of thousands of Afghan allies, fearing a bloodbath as America ends its longest war, but the administration said it did not want to set off a panic. We cannot allow Kabul to be another Saigon, Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, referring to the chaotic helicopter lifts of people as US-allied South Vietnam fell in 1975.
AP
WASHINGTON President Joe Biden and administration officials have encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to wind down the bombardment of Gaza, a person with knowledge of the discussions said Tuesday, as the Israeli and Palestinian death tolls mounted and pressure grew on Biden to move more forcefully to stop the fighting.
Top Biden administration officials underscored to the Israelis on Monday and Tuesday that time is not on their side in terms of international objections to nine days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rockets, and that it is in their interest to wind down the operations soon, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the private talks and spoke on condition of anonymity.