It’s been two weeks since Joe Biden last called for a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hezbollah and Iran – or more succinctly, it's been two weeks since the U.S. president last called for Israel to stop knocking off leaders and soldiers of Hezbollah, which has attacked its northern territory relentlessly since last Oct. 7.
Iran took up the fight for its proxy Hezbollah by firing more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 2. Israel’s response was part of the conversation between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday. It had been seven weeks since they had last spoken.
Biden didn’t come out of Wednesday’s visit calling for Israel to slow its attacks. Ceasefire wasn’t part of the messaging when White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fielded questions later in the day.
“The two leaders had an opportunity to talk directly. It was productive. It was direct. It lasted about 30 minutes,” Jean-Pierre said. “What you have seen from this administration is the continued support for Israel’s security. When Iran attacked Israel, the president directed his military to protect Israel. He was very proud to be able to do that. That support continues.”
In an appearance on Washington Watch Wednesday, U.S. House Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) said he sees softening rhetoric from the administration as a part of an effort by Vice President Kamala Harris to attract Jewish voters in swing states in her campaign against Republican nominee Donald Trump, the former president.
“We need to be fully behind Israel – and yes, it is a shift in policy," Self told show host Jody Hice. "They’ve been pandering to the students with student loans, they’re now pandering to the Jewish community. They’ve been pandering for years to the Muslim community in Michigan, for instance. They will pander wherever they think they need to.”
Support means weapons and supplies
The U.S. was in fact part of a multi-national response to Iran’s attack. Great Britian and France also joined alongside the Israel Defense Forces. But Britian and France have also halted sales of their weapons to Israel; and while the U.S. hasn’t enacted an embargo, it has slowed delivery of promised weapons and munitions.
Netanyahu in June posted a video to social media calling the delay “inconceivable.”
Given that recent history, Self called Jean-Pierre’s comments a “half-truth.”
“Recently, President Biden tried to influence them in their [possible] attack against [Iran’s] nuclear facilities. They have been putting obstacles in the way of the Israelis ever since Oct. 7 a year ago. I will tell you this is only a half-truth, what she said.”
Immediately following Iran’s attack on Israel, Self and five other House Republicans* wrote a letter to Biden urging immediate delivery of all promised foreign aid and the enforcement of sanctions already in place designed to deter Iran’s offensive efforts against the United States and its allies.
More concerning to those members of Congress than the strikes against Israel is Iran’s nuclear behavior.
Iran has constructed facilities deep underground to protect them from attacks. In September 2023, it barred the International Atomic Energy Agency from monitoring its nuclear program, leaving it free to increase its production of highly enriched uranium.
Those moves have positioned Iran to produce a nuclear warhead "in a matter of a week or days," the letter states.
“If we’re going to stand in their way of doing what’s in the interest of the Israeli people, then we are not doing our job of defending our best ally in the Middle East, the only democracy in the Middle East," Self stated on Washington Watch. "I called upon the president to release all of the armaments that we have approved for Israel as well as to start enforcing the sanctions against Iran.
“We expect the administration to support Israel as the majority of the American people want the Biden-Harris administration to do,” Self added.
A move that could backfire
The Texas Republican believes Muslim voters in Michigan won’t be fooled by the pandering. “They will watch this, and they will say that they have shifted, that they have flipped the script, and they’re now supporting Isreal. That may cost them some Muslim votes,” he predicted.
It’s far from the first time the Harris-Walz campaign has changed positions, Self noted. “They have no core beliefs. They have no core policies that they will enforce," he argued. "They do what is exigent at the time. We realize that now with the flip-flops on many issues or the lack of policy on many issues.”
The Democrats’ only passion, he said, is taxpayer-funded abortion and precipitating the failure of Trump.
“I just encourage people to realize how dedicated [the Democrats] are to keeping Donald Trump out of office. Listen to what they say, take them at their word. That is the other principle on which they run,” Self said.
The lawmakers who signed the letter requested a response from Biden within 30 days.
* Rudy Yakym III (Indiana), Brian J. Mast (Florida), Kay Granger (Texas), Michael Waltz (Florida) and Chris Smith (New Jersey) joined Rep. Keith Self in signing the letter.
