Reaction to US decision to pause weapons shipment to Israel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. lawmakers reacted to President Joe Biden's decision to suspend delivery of certain munitions to Israel that appeared to be a possible shift in U.S. policy, although the Pentagon said the move was not final.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER:

"I believe that Israel and America have an ironclad relationship, and I have faith in what the Biden administration is doing."

SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL

In opening remarks in the Senate, the top Senate Republican harshly criticized Biden as bending "under the heat of domestic political pressure from his party's anti-Israel base and the campus Communists who decided to wrap themselves in the flag of Hamas and Hezbollah."

Speaking about the weapons delay in particular, McConnell accused Biden of "creating daylight between America and a close ally," adding that the decision was withheld from Congress and that "we still don't know key facts."

"For the administration to withhold assistance from Israel is devastating in its own right. At home, it will only whet the appetite of the anti-Israel left, and abroad it will embolden Iran and its terrorist proxies."

U.S. SENATOR TIM KAINE, DEMOCRAT ON SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS AND ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEES

“For months, I have strongly urged the Biden Administration to prioritize Israel’s defensive needs, including restocking the Iron Dome and David’s Sling air defense systems — which are especially critical after the Iranian attack on Israel on April 14 — rather than offensive weapons that could cause enormous suffering in Gaza and further escalate tensions across the region. I was pleased to see that certain offensive arms deliveries have since been paused, and encourage the administration to continue to be wary of transferring weapons that could be used in offensive military actions that result in significant civilian casualties."

DEMOCRATIC U.S. REPRESENTATIVE RO KHANNA

A member of the House Armed Services Committee who has in the past called for a ceasefire, Khanna told Reuters that he wanted to see more details but viewed the action favorably.

"I support holding off on offensive weapons."

REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM

"If we stop weapons necessary to destroy the enemies of the state of Israel at a time of great peril, we will pay a price. This is obscene. It is absurd. Give Israel what they need to fight the war they can't afford to lose."

HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN MICHAEL MCCAUL AND HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN MIKE ROGERS

"We are appalled that the administration paused crucial arms shipments to Israel. Withholding arms to Israel weakens Israel’s deterrence against Iran and its proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. Moreover, this disastrous policy decision was undertaken in secret and deliberately hidden from Congress and the American people. At a time when Israel continues to negotiate in good faith to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, the administration’s shortsighted, strategic error calls into question its ‘unshakeable commitment’ as an ally.

"The administration must allow these arms shipments to move forward to uphold the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and ensure that Israel can defend itself and defeat Hamas."

INDEPENDENT U.S. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS

"Given the unprecedented humanitarian disaster that Netanyahu’s war has created in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of children face starvation, President Biden is absolutely right to halt bomb delivery to this extreme, right-wing Israeli government. But this must be a first step.

The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, the end of the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of massive amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in desperation. Our leverage is clear. Over the years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. We can no longer be complicit in Netanyahu’s horrific war against the Palestinian people."

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Idrees Ali, Makini Brice and Susan Heavey; editing by David Gregorio)