Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham let loose Sunday on NBC host Kristen Welker over the conditions for Israel to receive U.S. aid placed by the Biden administration.
Graham appeared on “Meet the Press” to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas as Israel faces pressure to meet conditions set by the U.S. to receive aid. Prior to Graham’s segment, Democratic Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared on the show calling for the halt of U.S. aid to Israel.
As Graham began to talk about possible solutions for Israel while slamming Sanders’ comments, Welker referenced President Ronald Reagan’s withholding military aid to Israel in the 1980s, prompting the senior South Carolina senator to push back. (RELATED: House Republicans Reportedly Plan Pushback Against Biden’s Pause On Israel Arms Transfer)
“Here’s what I would say — there is some hope we can get over this,” Graham said. “Non-negotiable: the destruction of Hamas. Nobody in Israel will allow Hamas to be standing militarily or politically when this is over — how we get there is subject to negotiation. My problem is not with the weapons that Israel is using, my problem is with the tactics that Hamas is using and the idea that America would not send a nickel of aid, echoed by [a] United States senator [Bernie Sanders], when all of the Jews are trying to [avoid] be[ing] killed by radical Islamic groups tells us where we’re at as a nation. The Republican Party is with Israel without apology.”
“Well, historians would say, ‘Why is it okay for Reagan to do it and not President Biden?” but let me ask you about the big deal —” Welker began.
“Well, why is it okay — can I say this?” Graham jumped in. “Why is it okay for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war? Why was it okay for us to do that? I thought it was okay. To Israel — do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Whatever you have to do.”
“Senator, again, military officials say the technology has changed. But let me ask you about how all of this could impact —” Welker responded.
“Yeah, these military officials that you’re talking about are full of crap!” Graham interjected.
Reports that the Biden administration was delaying military aid to Israel in order to send a political message surfaced Tuesday. Biden administration officials signaled to the country their concerns of the humanitarian impact the war was having for residents of Gaza as Israel sought to advance into Rafah. As part of the hold-up of military aid, both Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Small Diameter Bombs were kept from Israel, according to Politico.
Following the news of the withheld support, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Thursday the warnings from the U.S. over their operations in Gaza would not curtail their plans. Netanyahu warned “if we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails.”