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DPA International
DPA International
The United States has paused a large shipment of weapons to Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday, amid ongoing concerns in Washington about Israeli military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. “We’re going to continue to do what’s necessary to support Israel,” Austin said, calling Washington’s security commitment “ironclad.” However, he said that “one shipment of high-payload munitions” had been halted, publicly confirming reports this week in US media, and that other pending near-term assistance was being assessed. Across Washington, US State Department spokesma…
The following e-mailed comments were received by San Diego Jewish World which I as editor pass along in the interest of presenting a range of Jewish opinion:
REACTIONS:
American Jewish Committee:
It is Hamas that started this conflict. It is Hamas that month after month refuses to accept proposals to release hostages and pause fighting. It is Hamas that continues to endanger Israeli and Palestinian lives.
President Biden should not take steps that could impair Israel’s ability to prevent Hamas from attacking it again and again — as its leaders have promised. The U.S. knows that defeating Hamas is critical to Israel’s long-term security and to defeating the global threat posed by the Iranian regime and its proxies.
Over the past week, Hamas has stolen humanitarian aid from Palestinians and fired rockets from Rafah at a humanitarian zone, killing four Israelis and preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. With thousands of Hamas terrorists still in Rafah, Israel must be able to prevent 10/7 from happening again.
The protection of civilians during conflict is vital, and we encourage the U.S. to continue working with Israel to ensure the safety of civilians.
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REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION
RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman and CEO Matt Brooks said:
Joe Biden has cemented his legacy as the worst President for the Jewish community and the State of Israel ever.
By withholding critical military aid to the Jewish state as it fights a war for its very survival, Biden is effectively siding with Iran and its terrorist proxies over Israel. This is an unprecedented, shameful, and despicable betrayal of a key ally and vital security partner at the worst possible time.
Israel must have the time, space, and support it needs to defeat Hamas and rescue the hostages. History will judge Biden harshly for this dereliction of responsibility to our friend and partner Israel.
Clearly, Joe Biden has not learned the lesson of “Never Again”. Today, 72% of Americans support an IDF military operation in Rafah to destroy Hamas. Yet in the interview with CNN where Biden announced this indefensible embargo on Israel, he made no mention of the hostages still languishing in Gaza – which include American citizens. He never even mentioned Hamas, the murderous terrorist organization responsible for October 7 and everything that came after!
In these perilous times, we need strong, courageous, and principled leadership. On Joe Biden’s watch, we have seen a horrific massacre of Israeli civilians by an Iranian proxy group, an unprecedented direct attack on Israel’s homeland by Iran, and a historic spike in antisemitism, especially on US college campuses. We have a President who has caved to the worst elements in society in an attempt to salvage a flailing re-election campaign.
Pro-Israel Americans know that Joe Biden has failed miserably to stand with our ally and keep the United States safe.
We need President Donald Trump back in the White House – November 5 cannot come soon enough.
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JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE
President Biden made a vital first step toward aligning U.S. foreign policy with both U.S. and international humanitarian law, by threatening to condition the sales of U.S. weapons to the Israeli military.
The President must adhere to this pledge, and more importantly, must expand it. No U.S. weapons should be going to a military plausibly found to be committing genocide by the World Court. No U.S. weapons should be going to a military charged with war crimes, or to a government that publicly pledges to commit ethnic cleansing.
The past seven months have shown horrific proof, daily, that the Israeli military is using U.S. weapons to violate international law. It’s far past time that the U.S. stops providing Israel with international immunity, and stops arming its genocidal military.
Stefanie Fox, Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace Action:
“Biden’s statement is as necessary as it is over overdue. The U.S. already bears responsibility for months of catastrophic devastation: The nearly 40,000 Palestinians that the Israeli military has killed, the two million Palestinians being intentionally brought to the brink of famine, the decimation of all universities and almost every hospital in Gaza. Today’s statement shows that Biden can no longer ignore the will of the majority of Americans who want a permanent ceasefire, release of all hostages, and an end to US complicity in Israeli war crimes. The Netanyahu regime and President Biden alike have positioned this ongoing genocide as a benefit to Jewish life and safety, and for months tens of thousands of American Jews have called out: Not in our names!”