The US House of Representatives has, a while ago, passed a bill, apparently pressuring President Joe Biden to resume the arms shipment to Israel, which had been temporarily halted. The decision was revealed by voting on Thursday, supported by 208 Republicans and 16 Biden-aligned Democrats.
However, the bill has a dim chance in the Senate as that is dominated by the president's party. Earlier, President Biden vowed to veto the bill if it passed through Congress. The core message of the bill is to implore the administration to expedite all approved weapons shipments to Israel, allowed by the Congress.
Currently, the US has withheld an ammunition shipment due to Israel's operation in Rafah, located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The White House vehemently opposed the massive Israeli military operation in Rafah, the most densely populated area and shelter for the internally displaced people from other parts of Gaza.
In recent parleys, President Biden had warned Israel of dire consequences if the major land operation took place. Later, senior figures from the administration attempted to allay the Israeli concerns, arguing that the withholding was limited to the said delivery. Reports suggest that a new consignment of arms is being readied for Israel.
To reiterate the stand of the administration, Biden's spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre once again shared deep concerns over the Rafah operation on a large scale. However, she reminded that Israel had assured there was nothing like it, and the current military build-up in Rafah is "limited." Responding to this, Republican House member Mike Johnson charged President Biden with abandoning Israel. Johnson termed the withholding of weapons catastrophic and against the will of Congress.
Through platforms like X, Johnson explained the meaning of the Israel Security Assistance Support Act as an act of solidarity with Israel and an imperative for the delivery of arms to the key Middle Eastern ally in as short a time as possible. He called Biden's veto threat a betrayal against regional alliances.
