Consider the timeline: On May 5th, Axios reported that the Biden administration was withholding a shipment of ammunition to Israel, in an effort to pressure the Israelis not to eliminate Hamas' final stronghold in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. For a few days, the administration refused to comment about this report. On May 7th, President Biden delivered a speech condemning anti-Semitism at the national Holocaust Museum, aligning with Holocaust Remembrance Day. During that speech, he described his support for Israel as "ironclad." Immediately following that address, administration officials began confirming the 'paused ammunition' report, affirmations that were reportedly delayed until after Biden's remarks. Having played to one side of the Hamas-started war in Gaza, by repudiating anti-Semitism and offering pro-Israel rhetoric, the Biden team instantly pivoted to once again pandering to the other side of the conflict. The pro-Hamas side, for clarity. By Wednesday night, the president himself not only took personal ownership of this delay, he also escalated. Genuinely shocking and indefensible:
BIDEN: "We've held up the weapons" for Israel pic.twitter.com/0K72YOIvQZ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 8, 2024
BIDEN (a day after pledging "ironclad" support for Israel): "If they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah." pic.twitter.com/N3JkcxXYae
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 8, 2024
Biden and company will insist this is about bringing about "peace," rooted in "humanitarian concerns" regarding civilian casualties. It's not. It's about trying to placate the 'Genocide Joe' screamers within Islamist and hard-left voting blocs. This is morally repulsive, and also astoundingly weak and pathetic:
“Mr President, signs at college campus. Some say ‘Genocide Joe’. Any of us that have gone to those campuses, sometimes we hear that chant. Do you hear the message of those young Americans?” @potus “Absolutely, I hear the message”.
— Erin Burnett (@ErinBurnett) May 8, 2024
This enfeebled man is so desperate to attract these people's votes that he's willing to debase himself by accepting the premise of a despicable smear against him. If this man had any moral clarity of self-respect, he'd forcefully reject the slander about an Israeli "genocide," in which the pro-Hamas mob insists he is complicit. He'd defend himself and our ally. He'd focus the conversation immediately upon the genocidal actions and statements of Hamas (who deliberately embed their terror operations among civilians), including Hamas' attacks and raids on sources of aid for the civilians of Gaza. Like these:
#BREAKING: Hamas recently launched two rounds of rocket fire at the American-made humanitarian aid pier for Gaza.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) May 8, 2024
Wake up.
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) May 8, 2024
Hamas is trying to sabotage aid deliveries into Gaza. It WANTS to force Israel to shut Kerem Shalom because it’s not safe to operate. https://t.co/MHiJt4tjTi
Instead, Biden responded to the appalling 'Genocide Joe' moniker with a shrug and an 'I hear ya.' He is prostrating himself before these hateful hordes, begging for their votes. If he actually cared about civilian lives, he'd exert maximum pressure on Hamas and its enablers, including the Qatari regime. He'd show no public daylight with Israel, strengthening our allies' hand as they try to negotiate a ceasefire that might guarantee the release of Hamas-held hostages, including the Americans Biden rarely mentions. He'd expedite, not hold back, precision munitions that would help the Israelis mitigate collateral damage in their defensive war to root out the savages who murdered their people. Instead, incoherence:
"Destroying Hamas's remaining battalions actually strengthens them" is the official US position pic.twitter.com/3kR7u21AXS
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) May 9, 2024
This is a good question. Another good question: How is denying Israel precision weapons going to save Palestinian lives if Israel has to rely on less precise weapons? https://t.co/oYYUrWktWW
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) May 8, 2024
1. Restricting assistance to Israel while attempting to get Hamas to agree to a hostage deal absolutely creates a Hamas incentive to hold out. No reason for Sinwar to think that he won't get an effective ceasefire—or at least a real limit to IDF operations—for free now
— (((Michael Koplow))) (@mkoplow) May 9, 2024
These decisions can only be explained through the prism of domestic coalition politics, which is a scandal and a disgrace. And somehow, it's even worse than that:
SCOOP: Day Before Biden Announced Freeze on Arms Sales to Israel, Admin Issued Sanctions Waiver Allowing Arms Sales to Hamas-ally Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq -- Waiver bypasses sanctions on weapon sales to countries that boycott Israel https://t.co/xXiXwaE6Dw
— Adam Kredo (@Kredo0) May 9, 2024
Beneath contempt. The president is a disgrace. I'll leave you with this:
Fwiw. I’ve heard from a LOT of reliably anti-Trump people - I mean really, really, anti-Trump people - who have had it with Biden tonight. Anecdotal, to be sure. But very telling in my circle.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) May 9, 2024
Can confirm.