Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz sparred with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tuesday over the Biden administration’s decision to pause a key weapons shipment to Israel.
The Biden administration decided in late April to pause the transfer of a munitions package to Israel, citing concerns that it may be used in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in Rafah, the southernmost region of Gaza where the remaining Hamas battalions are located. Cruz criticized Blinken and the Biden administration for pressuring Israel to curtail its military operations against Hamas and halting the shipment of munitions to the IDF.
“Senator, I was in Israel five days since Oct. 7. I’ve been there seven times since. No one, starting with President Biden, has done more to make sure they have what they need to defend themselves from Hamas to deal with to deal with the threat that Hamas’ poses,” Blinken told Cruz. “[You’re] simply wrong.”
“That is ludicrous! Why have you cut off weapons to Israel, then?” Cruz responded.
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Blinken told Cruz that the Biden administration weapons transfers have not been cut off to Israel, pointing to a memorandum of understanding negotiated during the former Obama administration that created a 10-year guarantee of military aid.
Cruz went on to berate Blinken and the Biden administration for emboldening Iran, which has played a pivotal role in the ongoing attacks against Israel via terrorist proxies scattered throughout the Middle East. Iran has raked in billions of dollars from oil revenues after the Biden administration failed to properly enforce sanctions policies; Tehran has been given access to additional billions from a hostage exchange deal with the administration and sanctions waivers.
“This administration — you and President Biden — funded the Oct. 7 [Hamas attacks against Israel] by flowing $100 billion to a homicidal, genocidal regime that funded those attacks.”
“That statement is profoundly wrong,” Blinken responded. “I’m not even going to humor it. I think it’s a disgraceful statement.”
Blinken explained that the Biden administration is doing what it can to enforce sanctions against Iran, although Tehran finds ways to evade them.
“You’ve funded our enemies and you undermine our friends, and the world is much, much more dangerous as a result, and Americans are in greater jeopardy because of it,” Cruz told Blinken.
The munitions package that the Biden administration paused contained 1,800 large-scale bombs and 1,700 smaller bombs. The Biden administration was concerned that the bombs could be used in densely populated urban areas in Gaza, including Rafah.
President Joe Biden has said on multiple occasions that he would not support a military operation in Rafah.
“I’ve made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet: They’re not going to get our support, if in fact they go on these population centers,” Biden told CNN in May.
