Schatz Statement On Biden Administration Withholding Offensive Weapons From Israel, As Netanyahu Escalates Conflict In Rafah

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced it has paused the transfer of certain offensive weapons to Israel.

“Conditioning military aid to Israel is not unprecedented – presidents of both parties have done it before. While Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself, there is no reason we should provide additional destructive offensive weapons that are likely to be used in an invasion of Rafah. Israel must target Hamas in a much more precise manner that prevents avoidable civilian death and suffering. President Biden drawing a clear line about America’s strategic and moral imperatives is in keeping with decades of bipartisan American foreign policy practices.”

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