President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged lawmakers to pass stalled legislation that would provide billions in military and other aid to Israel citing Iran’s weekend attack against the US ally.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York, Biden wrote, “[If] Iran succeeds in significantly escalating its assault on Israel, the US could be drawn in.”
“Israel is our strongest partner in the Middle East; it’s unthinkable that we would stand by if its defenses were weakened and Iran was able to carry out the destruction it intended this weekend,” the US president wrote.
“We can make that outcome less likely by replenishing Israel’s air defenses and providing military aid now, so its defenses can remain fully stocked and ready.”
Biden’s appeal has come just days after Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones on Sunday, in retaliation for a deadly Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria’s capital, Damascus, earlier this month.
Top Israeli officials have said they intend to hit back at Iran after Sunday’s attack, despite calls from the Biden administration and other Western nations to avoid escalation.
Even as regional tensions have surged, the international community has intensified its appeals to the US and other Western nations to condition financial support for Israel upon an increased flow of humanitarian support into the Gaza Strip. More than 33,800 Palestinians have died since Israel began its siege and blockade of the coastal strip in early October and United Nations officials have warned that the Strip is on the brink of famine.
While public criticism of the Biden administration’s support for Israel is growing, the country — which receives $3.8bn in US aid annually — has continued to enjoy strong bipartisan support among Washington legislators.