Joni Ernst Accuses Biden Of 'Choosing The Side Of Antisemites' By Withholding Israel Military Aid

4 months ago

During remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) spoke about President Biden's withholding of Israel military aid.

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Transcript

00:00 I'd like to thank the gentleman from South Carolina. We know that normalization between

00:06 Saudi Arabia and Israel is incredibly important and the senator from South Carolina has been

00:12 knee-deep in efforts to bring those two nations together. So I'd like to thank him first for that.

00:18 Madam President, America's promises mean something, or at least they should.

00:25 President Biden has repeatedly promised that his commitment to Israel is ironclad,

00:31 but revoking much-needed military support for our closest Middle Eastern ally says otherwise.

00:40 Let's be clear. The Middle East, really the entire world, right now is on fire.

00:50 And the blame lies in large part on the shoulders of the administration. President Biden's weak

00:59 leadership has consistently appeased our enemies and abandoned our allies. This dangerous trend

01:08 began with a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, where he left behind Americans

01:16 and Afghan allies to the mercies of Taliban rule. As a result, terrorists across the globe rejoice

01:25 at Biden's decisions instead of trembling in fear of the United States as they once did and should.

01:34 Two weeks ago, I returned from Israel, where I advocated for the release of American hostages

01:44 held captive by Iran-backed Hamas. I stood before Israeli officials, including Prime Minister

01:54 Benjamin Netanyahu, and assured them that America has your back. Yet as my words were still

02:04 reverberating, the Biden administration sent a far different, far more damaging message to our ally,

02:15 "We're withholding key munitions." Unbelievable and unconscionable.

02:23 And let's not miss that the very weapons that President Biden is withholding include kits

02:32 that will convert bombs into precision-guided weapons, tools that would help Israel conduct

02:44 very precise strikes against Hamas, thus reducing civilian casualties.

02:56 Mind you, reducing civilian casualties is the administration's stated goal when it comes to

03:02 how the IDF prosecutes their rightful retaliation. Yet the Biden White House is withholding the very

03:11 means Israel needs to accomplish this goal. It is total hypocrisy, folks. As Prime Minister

03:21 Netanyahu said to me and to the world, the U.S. withholding these precision-guided capabilities

03:29 will not stop Israel from defending itself. But make no mistake, Biden's decision will make it

03:40 harder for Israel to avoid civilian deaths. This, my friends, is a very, very grim reality.

03:53 In April, Congress, with my help, stood firmly with our ally by approving critical weapons support

04:07 for Israel. Leading up to the passage of this bill, President Biden himself declared the aid

04:15 to Israel was critical and called for, quote, "swift and decisive action," end quote, to ensure

04:27 Israel had everything it needed to defend itself. Yet now, when it is his time to act,

04:36 Biden fails to do so. Since October 7th, Israel has faced existential Iran-backed threats on

04:49 every side. In the Gaza Strip, Hamas terrorists continue to attack our friend and hold dozens of

04:58 hostages, including Americans, our American eight. Hezbollah forces continue to bomb northern Israel,

05:11 forcing the evacuation of 60,000 Israelis. Houthis have also attacked dozens of ships

05:21 crossing the Red Sea to strangle the Israeli economy. And of course, Iran, the supporter of

05:30 all of these terrorist groups, launched more than 300 projectiles against Israel last month

05:41 in an unprecedented escalation, not to mention the attacks by Iranian proxies

05:49 on our own service members in the region. Three American service members were killed

06:01 at Tower 22 in Jordan. Let's not forget. As Israel faces these dangers, we must give her

06:15 the arms needed to fight and win, to destroy the Hamas terrorists that continue to hold our,

06:25 our fellow citizens hostage. The American eight. What must not get lost in all the noise

06:38 is that the decision to withhold weapons from Israel reeks of politics. The president is

06:47 choosing to capitulate to an anti-Israel pro-Hamas faction within his own party.

06:55 And he does so at his own peril and more importantly, at the peril of countless lives.

07:06 President Biden, you have made your choice. You are choosing the side of Iran-backed

07:16 Hamas terrorists who brutally rape women and burn children. You are choosing the side of

07:28 anti-Semites who are ruining the lives of Jewish students across this country.

07:34 You will live with the consequences of your choices. And most gravely,

07:43 so will the American hostages and us service members being targeted by Iranian proxies.

07:55 Every single day,

07:58 Madam president, Republicans will not waver in our support for Israel and our Jewish friends.

08:12 Never again is not just a slogan. It is a solemn bow. And in this pivotal moment,

08:21 we will stand on the right side of history with that, Madam president, I yield the floor.

Joni Ernst Accuses Biden Of 'Choosing The Side Of Antisemites' By Withholding Israel Military Aid

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