President Joe Biden, as Spencer covered earlier on Monday, made the move to block aid to Israel. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who has called on the Senate to pass a standalone bill to Israel six separate times, demanded answers in a Monday letter to the president shared exclusively with Townhall.
As Marshall noted early on in his letter, "that would mean your administration blocked aid without any transparency or communication to Congress on why it's being held at your direction." The senator also raises other ways in which Biden has failed to stand by Israel. "The underlying reason for this action remains disturbingly unclear, and your lack of transparency on this issue as American campuses nationwide have turned into terrorist sympathizers' encampments has our Jewish communities and Americans wondering which side you are on," he mentioned.
Pro-Hamas protests have indeed been raging on college campuses across the country for weeks now, with the president only just recently speaking about the matter, in remarks from last Thursday. He's even tried to go for a "both sides" perspective on the issue.
From there, Marshall calls on Biden to be more clear on where he stands. "You and your administration have repeatedly abandoned Israel. Should you have unilaterally decided to divert aid to our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel, then you should come forward and defend this decision. I believe the world should know exactly where you stand with Israel. This recent diversion is just another example of your failure to support our allies and carry out your duties in fear of the repercussions from the pro-terrorist, pro-Hamas faction of your party."
Biden claims to be, and has been regarded by many in the mainstream medias as supposedly a supporter of Israel. He's consistently warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against their Rafah operation, which Israel is now going forward with. The Biden administration has also been prioritizing civilians in Gaza, from putting American troops in harm's way for a pier in the region to facilitate aid, to even reports of a plan to bring over those in the region to the United States as "refugees."
It is an election year after all, though, and Biden is trying to win over "the pro-terrorist, pro-Hamas faction of [his] party," as Marshall mentioned, including in key swing states like Michigan.
"Sources within your administration say this pause does not represent a change in policy toward Israel, but your silence and deceit speak volumes. It is simply inexcusable that The White House, the Department of Defense, and the State Department have not publicly released a comment on why you took this unprecedented action to block aid to Israel at this pivotal time," Marshall's letter points out.
Speaking of the State Department, Spencer also covered earlier on Monday how spokesperson Matthew Miller had the audacity to lament how the Rafah operation could complicate aid for those in Gaza.
Marshall does offer a possible suggestion, however, which is that the president prioritizing of Ukraine over Israel. "Because of this administration's unbelievable focus on Ukraine, I am concerned that you may have prioritized Ukrainian defense over that of Israel. I sincerely hope that you did not reroute this ammunition transfer from Israel to Ukraine, as this would be a drastic betrayal," the letter suggests.
Last November, when Marshall first began calling on his Democratic colleagues to pass his standalone aid bill, Biden threatened to veto the bill, as he also demanded that the aid be tied to Ukraine, a measure that other Republican senators also took issue with. A foreign aid package did pass both the House and the Senate last month and was quickly signed into law by the Biden, which Marshall voted against it, as it was so full of funding for Ukraine.
Marshall is asking Biden for immediate answers, by this Wednesday, May 8:
1) What is your administration's official justification for blocking shipments of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel during the week of April 25 - May 5?
2) Since October 7, 2023, how many aid shipments have you blocked, delayed, or rerouted from reaching Israel?
3) Did your administration reroute this ammunition shipment from Israel to Ukraine?
4) Does your administration have future intentions of blocking critical aid to Israel?
5) Does your administration have any intentions to publicly address why you have unilaterally upended aid to Israel?
You can read the letter from Marshall shared exclusively with Townhall below.
.@townhallcom received an exclusive look at the letter @RogerMarshallMD is sending to President Joe Biden over the decision to block aid to Israel. pic.twitter.com/ha0mytMjxX
— Rebecca Downs🇺🇸🟦🇮🇱 (@RebeccaRoseGold) May 6, 2024