Senator Shelley Moore Capito says she is frustrated by a Biden administration decision to withhold offensive weapons to Israel if it launches a full-scale ground offensive into the city of Rafah.
“He’s holding those because they’re waiting to see what the strategy is and what strategy Israel is using around their Rafah initiative, and I found that quite disturbing myself,” Capito, R-W.Va., said during a briefing with West Virginia reporters today.
“I think Congress passed this. You saw it take months to go. And I’m a firm believer that we need to support our friends, and we need to support Israel. I’m a strong believer in our great ties with Israel, and I think we ought to be a friend and an ally and not dangle things in front of a country and not take them away when they don’t do the strategies that the president doesn’t think are the right strategies.”
More than 1 million Palestinians are in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where Israel is considering expanding its ground operation.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” President Joe Biden told CNN, referring to 2,000-pound bombs supplied by the United States.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone in Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically … to deal with the cities.”
He made it clear that the United States would not supply offensive weapons for a major incursion into the civilian areas of Rafah.
“We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” Biden said. “But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to – we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”
Hours before Biden’s remarks on CNN on Wednesday evening, Capito asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the delayed weapons supply.
“What is the status of withholding the weaponry that we voted to send to Israel?” Capito asked Austin during a hearing to review the president’s fiscal 2025 funding request for the U.S. Department of Defense. “Are we doing that? Why are we doing that?’
Austin responded that “our commitment to Israel is ironclad.” He went on to say, “We’re going to continue to do what’s necessary to support Israel.”
Capito interjected, “Are those reports false then, that I’m reading?”
Austin responded, “We are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of the unfolding events in Rafah.”
Capito thanked Austin for his response, adding “I wouldn’t say I agree with it.”