118 SRES 682 IS: Condemning the decision by the Biden Administration to halt the shipment of United States made ammunition and weapons to the State of Israel.
U.S. Senate
2024-05-09
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EN
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III
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 682
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 9, 2024
Mr. Graham (for himself, Mr. Cotton, Ms. Collins, Mr. Cruz, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Daines, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Sullivan, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Budd, Mr. Mullin, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Romney, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Thune, Mr. Young, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Risch, Mr. Braun, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Lankford, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Lee, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Moran, Mr. Vance, and Mr. McConnell) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
RESOLUTION
Condemning the decision by the Biden Administration to halt the shipment of United States made ammunition and weapons to the State of Israel.
Whereas the United States is the largest supplier of military aid to the State of Israel, providing $158,000,000,000 in bilateral assistance and missile defense funding since World War II, which has been used by the State of Israel in part to protect itself from attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies;
Whereas, in 2016, the United States and the State of Israel signed a third 10-year Memorandum of Understanding, under which the United States pledged to provide $38,000,000,000 in military aid, subject to congressional appropriation, to the State of Israel between fiscal years 2019 and 2028;
Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprovoked attack against the State of Israel, brutally murdering more than 1,200 innocent men, women, and children while injuring thousands more;
Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Hamas took more than 240 innocent civilians hostage, including babies, children, women, elderly, Holocaust survivors, and United States citizens, and is still holding at least 128 of these innocent civilians against their will;
Whereas, on October 8, 2023, the State of Israel officially declared war on Hamas and has since dismantled 20 of the 24 Hamas battalions in Gaza, in part using ammunition and weapons supplied by the United States;
Whereas, on October 8, 2023, White House officials announced that they had conveyed to the Government of Israel that additional assistance for the Israeli Defense Forces was now on its way to the State of Israel with more to follow over the coming days;
Whereas, on November 1, 2023, Ghazi Hamad, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, stated, “We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do it twice and three times. The Al-Aqsa Deluge[, the name Hamas gave its October 7th attack,] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth … We are the victims of the occupation. Period. Therefore, nobody should blame us for the things we do. On October 7th, October 10th, October one-millionth, everything we do is justified.”;
Whereas, on January 2, 2024, the intelligence community of the United States declassified an assessment that stated, “The U.S. Intelligence Community is confident in its judgment on this topic and has independently corroborated information on HAMAS and PIJ’s use of the [Al-Shifa] hospital complex for a variety of purposes related to its campaign against Israel.” ;
Whereas, on March 6, 2024, United States officials told Members of Congress that the Biden Administration had approved and delivered more than 100 separate arms sales to the State of Israel since the October 7th attack, including thousands of precision-guided munitions, small-diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms, and other lethal aid;
Whereas, on March 29, 2024, it was reported the Biden Administration approved new arms packages worth billions of dollars for the State of Israel that included more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs;
Whereas, on March 30, 2024, following the report of the approved new arms packages, a White House official stated, “We have continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself…Conditioning aid has not been our policy.”;
Whereas, on April 2, 2024, it was reported the Biden Administration supported a plan to provide $18,000,000,000 worth of F–15 fighter jets, munitions, training, and other support to the State of Israel, with the Department of State sending an informal notice to the respective congressional committees to start a legislative review process for the order;
Whereas, on April 10, 2024, President Joseph R. Biden, while speaking publicly at the White House, stated, “As I told Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad—let me say it again, ironclad.”;
Whereas, on April 13, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris stated, “President Biden and I met with our national security team following Iran’s attacks against Israel. Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad, and we stand with the people of Israel in defense against these attacks.”;
Whereas, on April 13, 2024, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated, “This morning, I spoke with my Israeli counterpart, National Security Advisor Hanegbi, to discuss events in the Middle East. During the call, I reiterated the United States ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.”;
Whereas, on April 13, 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones towards the State of Israel and innocent civilians in an unprecedented attack;
Whereas, on April 13, 2024, 99 percent of the projectiles launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran were intercepted by the State of Israel and its allies, using fighter jets, air defense systems, and other weapons that were supplied to the State of Israel in part by the United States;
Whereas, on April 14, 2024, following the attack on the State of Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “The United States condemns Iran’s attack on Israel. As the President said, our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran is ironclad.”;
Whereas, on April 14, 2024, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III underscored the United States commitment to Israel saying, “I spoke to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant for a second time today to reiterate ironclad U.S. support for Israel’s defense in light of Iran’s unprecedented attack from Iranian territory. We reviewed the extraordinary defensive measures and strong cooperation undertaken to defeat this Iranian attack against Israel.”;
Whereas, on May 5, 2024, it was reported the Biden Administration put a hold on a shipment of United States made ammunition to the State of Israel the previous week, the first time since the since the October 7th attack that the United Stated stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military;
Whereas, on May 5, 2024, Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at possible tensions regarding support being provided by the Biden Administration, stating, “In the terrible Holocaust, there were great world leaders who stood by idly; therefore, the first lesson of the Holocaust is: If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us. And if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone.”;
Whereas, on May 6, 2024, it was reported that since January 2024 the Biden Administration has effectively paused the sale of up to 6,500 Joint Direct Attack Munitions in a sale worth as much as $260,000,000 to the State of Israel;
Whereas, on May 6, 2024, it was reported that since March 2024 the Biden Administration has effectively paused the sale of up to $700,000,000 in 120 mm tank ammunition, $500,000,000 in tactical vehicles, and less than $100,000,000 in 120 mm mortar rounds;
Whereas, on May 6, 2024, despite multiple reports of the Biden Administration putting a hold on a shipment of United States made ammunition and effectively pausing additional weapon sales to the State of Israel, the Biden Administration stated, “[O]ur security commitments to Israel are ironclad”;
Whereas, on May 7, 2024, the Biden Administration confirmed the report from May 5, 2024, of the Biden Administration putting a hold United States made ammunition to the State of Israel, stating, “[W]e began to carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah…[and] paused one shipment of weapons last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs.”; and
Whereas, the decision by the Biden Administration to withhold the provision of critical United States made ammunition and weapons to the State of Israel will only embolden and encourage the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, to conduct more attacks against the State of Israel, which in turn will complicate efforts to reach any hostage deal with Hamas or a broader normalization deal between the State of Israel and other countries in the region: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)
condemns any decision by the Biden Administration to halt the shipment of United States made ammunition and weapons to the State of Israel;
(2)
demands that the Biden Administration continue to fulfill the military aid requests from the State of Israel in order to provide the weapons needed to defeat Hamas and defend against attacks from the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies;
(3)
reaffirms the importance of the long history of the United States providing military aid to the State of Israel and willingness to expedite delivery of such aid in times of crisis; and
(4)
upholds the commitment of the United States to the State of Israel’s security and long-term prosperity.