Several prominent pro-Israel Biden supporters have accused the president of threatening to suspend arms shipments to the country if it invades Rafah, a Hamas stronghold in southern Gaza.
News agency Axios obtained an email from Haim Saban, an Israeli-American Democratic megadonor, sent to White House officials on Wednesday, slamming Biden's decision. Another Democrat, Mark Mellman, criticized the move in a statement to Axios.
“Bad, bad, bad decisions at every level, please reconsider,” Saban's email said, along with a note saying Biden's position “sends a terrible message to our allies in the region and beyond.” was.
Biden administration suspends ammunition shipments to Israel: Report
Biden megadonor Haim Saban recently criticized President Biden for suspending arms shipments to Israel over plans to invade Rafah.
Biden acknowledged his position in a CNN interview that aired Wednesday, saying, “If they go into Rafah, I have historically been used to deal with cities, to deal with Rafah.'' “We will not supply weapons,” he said. problem. “
“We will continue to ensure the security of Israel in terms of Iron Dome and our ability to respond to recent attacks from the Middle East,” Biden told CNN. “But that's just not true. We're not going to do that. We're not going to supply weapons and shells.”
In addition to many American politicians, some Israelis believe that Mr. Biden's decision to halt arms deliveries to Israel ahead of the November election is a sign that he is appealing to the far-left and progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Some believe it may be pandering.
Thousands of Hamas terrorists and their notorious leader Yahya Sinwar are holed up in Rafah, a city home to more than 1 million Palestinians, and the jihadist group is using human shields to thwart an Israeli invasion. As such, they are using hostages, some of whom may be Americans.
Mr. Saban's memo to Mr. Biden accused the president of abandoning the stated goal of the United States' recent aid to Israel: defeating Hamas.
Republican senator says there is 'no choice' but to impeach Biden over delay in aid to Israel
In a letter to Biden, Saban accused the president of deviating from doing the right thing in Israel due to “political pressure.” (Getty Images)
“Dear President Biden, we, the United States, believe, as you have stated many times, that Hamas must be defeated. We, the United States, and in this case you, President, believe that Hamas must be defeated. “We have decided to stop sending munitions to Israel.” That is what we/you have set up for Israel and ourselves. ”
Saban also said the suspension sends a message that the U.S. is “giving in to political pressure” and abandoning what's right.
In February, the chairman and CEO of Saban Capital Group held a major fundraiser for Biden's 2024 re-election at his home in Los Angeles.
Melman, CEO of Democratic Majority Israel, a political group that promotes support for Israel among Democratic politicians, told Axios, “There is no president more pro-Israel than Joe Biden, but at the same time we are I'm very concerned about how it will be shown.” It would be a significant shift in US policy. ”
“There are a lot of people in the pro-Israel community who are very concerned, very upset, very angry,” Melman said, adding: “We don't know what the outcome will be politically.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said President Biden's vow to withhold weapons from Israel would result in civilian casualties within the Gaza Strip. ((Fox News/Getty Images))
The House Oversight Committee announced it would launch an investigation into the Biden administration over its threat to withhold offensive aid from Israel.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
Gabriel Hayes is an associate editor at Fox News Digital.