[ Sen. Peter Welch said U.S. weapons have "grave implications" for
"the millions of civilians trapped in Gaza who had no part in the
horrific slaughter of innocent Israelis on October 7th."]
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DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH AS BIDEN BYPASSES CONGRESS FOR 2ND TIME TO ARM
ISRAEL  
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Jake Johnson
January 2, 2024
Common Dreams [[link removed]]


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_ Sen. Peter Welch said U.S. weapons have "grave implications" for
"the millions of civilians trapped in Gaza who had no part in the
horrific slaughter of innocent Israelis on October 7th." _

Israeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel
on Friday, Oct.13, 2023., AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

 

The Biden administration's decision
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last week to circumvent congressional review of a $147.5 million arms
sale to Israel is drawing growing backlash from U.S. lawmakers, with
three senators from the president's party criticizing the move as
dangerous and lacking transparency.

"Congress must discuss the merits of supporting the transfer of lethal
aid, which has grave implications not only for the millions of
civilians trapped in Gaza who had no part in the horrific slaughter of
innocent Israelis on October 7th by Hamas, but also for the United
States," Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said in a statement
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Sunday, expressing agreement with fellow Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.)
response a day earlier.

The Virginia Democrat said
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Saturday that "just as Congress has a crucial role to play in all
matters of war and peace, Congress should have full visibility over
the weapons we transfer to any other nation."

"Unnecessarily bypassing Congress means keeping the American people in
the dark," said Kaine. "We need a public explanation of the rationale
behind this decision."

On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced that it had invoked
emergency powers
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to unilaterally approve a sale of artillery shells and other military
equipment to Israel without congressional oversight, claiming the
country has urgent "defensive needs" as it wages a devastating
[[link removed]] war on the Gaza Strip
that has killed mostly civilians
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The move marked the second time
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month that the Biden administration maneuvered around Congress to
approve a weapons sale to Israel, which has received roughly 10,000
tons
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of U.S. military equipment since October 7—from Joint Direct Attack
Munitions
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2,000-pound bombs
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The administration has been highly secretive
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its weapons transfers to Israel, a sharp contrast with its approach
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to arming Ukraine.

Human rights groups have urged the U.S. and other nations to impose an
arms embargo
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on Israel, whose bombing campaign and siege have killed and wounded
many thousands of people, displaced around 90% of Gaza's population,
and decimated much of the enclave's infrastructure. But the Biden
administration has refused even to place conditions
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on U.S. military aid, heightening the risk of complicity in genocide
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ethnic cleansing
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"The administration's decision to repeatedly short-circuit what is
already a quick time frame for congressional review undermines
transparency and weakens accountability."

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said
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the weekend that "congressional review is a critical step for
examining any large arms sale."

"The administration's decision to repeatedly short-circuit what is
already a quick time frame for congressional review undermines
transparency and weakens accountability," he added. "The public
deserves answers."

Van Hollen, Kaine, and Welch were among the 13 Democratic senators who
signed a letter
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in early November urging the Biden administration to support a
"cessation of hostilities" in Israel and Gaza.

Israeli forces have killed an additional 10,000 people in Gaza since
that letter was made public, and most of the territory's population is
going hungry [[link removed]]
as Israel's bombing campaign and siege continue with no end in sight.

Welch said Sunday that U.S. weaponry is "contributing to the death and
injury of countless civilians and the displacement of an estimated 2
million people who are facing daily bombardment without access to
adequate food, water, shelter, or medical care."

"The war in Gaza has generated immense controversy and concern in the
United States and around the world," Welch added. "The president
should follow the established procedure of submitting his arms sales
recommendations to Congress for prior approval."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel
free to republish and share widely.

 

Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.

* Biden; Arming Israel; War in Gaza;
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