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Biden “pauses” shipment of ammunition to Israel

Biden “pauses” shipment of ammunition to Israel

President Biden has a dangerous habit of issuing strong statements to be followed up by weak responses and backsliding under pressure from various interest groups. He often fails to implement his strong statements when warnings are disregarded or red lines crossed. 

We have seen that in his too little/too late approach to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  We have seen that in the aftermath of his surrender to the terrorist Taliban in Afghanistan.  Nowhere has it been more obvious than in his response to the Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war.

You will recall that Biden pledged unequivocal support for Israel’s declaration of war on Hamas after the barbaric attack on Israel – killing more than 1200 people, including several Americans.  Hamas took an estimated 240 hostages, including Americans – many of whom are now known to be dead — and others likely so.

Biden said American support was solid – and that he would not interfere with Israel’s conduct of the War.  He warned other terrorist groups and terrorist nations to stand down with a one-word warning – “Don’t!”  He underscored that commitment with a trip to Israel in which he figuratively and literally hugged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – a hug that enraged members of his own party.

Since then, things have changed dramatically.  Iran and other Middle East terrorist organizations showed their contempt for Biden’s warnings by attacking Israel from Hezbollah controlled Lebanon and Houthi controlled Syria.  Anticipating a weak response from Biden, they routinely attacked U.S. assets and personnel – killing four American soldiers. Iran mounted the first ever attack on Israel from Iranian soil.  Biden’s response has been underwhelming – and nothing that would discourage future terrorism.

As a significant faction of his Democrat base rose up in opposition to Israel – and not just the conduct of the war – Biden caved. He essentially joined the Hamas propaganda machine as a strident critic of Netanyahu and the Israeli war on Hamas.  It is not an exaggeration to say that Biden had become the among the world’s most powerful critics of Israel – and triggered the worst schism between America and the Jewish State since its founding in 1948. 

Biden has joined the Hamas call for a permanent ceasefire.  He has declared that Israel is needlessly killing too many “innocent civilians” — ignoring the fact that Hamas started the war and callously embeds among civilians – including at schools, hospitals and refugee centers.

For all his anti-Israel rhetoric, Biden has at least remained committed to supplying Israel with much-needed military equipment and munitions.  He endorsed and signed the recently passed $17 billion military aid package.

But again, Biden backslides.

Biden has now “paused” the delivery 1,800 of the 2000-pound bombs and 1,700 of the 500-pound bombs – with no indication of when or if the shipments will be resumed.  This was said to be out of concern over Israeli plans to take control of Rafah.  Once again, Biden is caving to the anti-Israel antisemitic faction of the Democratic Party and the terrorist propaganda program.

The foundational issue is not Rafah or a ceasefire.  Biden is literally embracing those who want to undermine the existence of Israel.  They want to end all military aid to Israel.  They support the BDS Movement – to boycott, disinvest and impose sanctions on Israel, essentially destroying it as a nation. They accuse Israel of war crimes while chanting the genocidal mantra “river to the sea.”

Biden needs to be seen for his actions – not his shallow and unreliable words.  They are two very different things.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

9 Comments

  1. frank stetson

    FYI; apparently, I got it wrong in my comments yesterday as arms have been delayed, not pending. One shipment of large bombs has been delayed — not abandoned, but delayed. It’s a message that Horist does not like. Thank God I used too many words and no one read it. :>)

    It’s starting to feel like Horist has never met a bomb he does not want to drop. Why is less war a bad thing? How many innocent Palestinian civilians need to die to satisfy Horist’s blood feud? This time he complains about a message, not so much an action, but a message to come to terms and establish peace. When should Biden make this call? They lost 1,410 so far in the horrific attack and subsequent action. Is 5,000 enough? 10,000? 20,000? There’s over 35,000 dead Palestinian. With 97 journalists and 224 humanitarian workers. The US would be firing Generals by now; there are a number of atrocities within those numbers too.

    Hamas is defeated and these actions are not decimating them. Israel needs another approach over carpet bombing. It’s time IMO and Biden agrees. It’s OK to change perspective as reality changes.

    Biden has stated IF you keep bombing innocents in RAFA when you have all the intelligence, all the technology, to minimize the needless death of innocent civilians not at war with you, not participating in the heinous acts, THEN, the US will not continue to supply you with those weapons. You got a problem with that? Really, like what is your problem with that concept? I mean he said it and then he did it. Isn’t that what you want from him —- action supporting his words. Tough talk? When should he pivot and say that to Israel — 50,000 dead?

    This war is turning into one of the cruelest events in modern history by a developed nation. Israel is logging numerous human rights violations, some before the GAZA attack even. More aid workers and journalists have been killed here than in Ukraine. Five times more journalists. Aid workers too — five times more in Israeli war versus Ukraine war which has been going on a lot longer. IMO, Biden has every right to say: don’t use my bombs like that given Israel is not conducting this war according to international agreements. Andi it’s a message; no one is without bombs, even the big ones are still in the pipeline. .

    So far, one shipment, 3,500 bombs delayed. Many more already in the pipeline and no problem backfilling the delay. It’s a message, not a shortage. Israel has not changed anything it’s doing because of the delay. Congress did more harm with it’s unnecessary delay caused by Republicans.

    Nothing done is part of a spending package Biden signed last month that included about $26 billion to support Israel and provide humanitarian aid.

    In March, Canada ceased future arms exports to Israel. Italy and Spain also stopped new licenses. In the Netherlands, the government paused sales of F-35 fighter jet parts due to lawsuit. In Germany, a similar suit seeks to stop weapon sales. Horist has not, but the world has had enough killing of innocent civilians seemingly for effect. I think it is OK to side with Canada, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands on this one, and we are not ceasing arm shipments, not banning arms shipments, matter of fact, most arms are still being shipped.

    Israel is also now accused, but more data needed, with breaking international law with their use of weapons. Sure, some politicking in that too, no doubt, but the message is sent, the message is clear, the message makes sense IMO, enough is enough so don’t use our bombs to needlessly kill innocent civilians while putting the hostages at increased risk. They are needless creating future terrorists across the globe.
    FYI: Reagan and Bush held back arms or money to Israel during the 1980’s for Reagan and 1990’s for Bush. Did you jump on the table and scream antisemitism then? If some 12-year old in GAZA who watched his mom and dad die from a really big US bomb dropped on his refugee camp in GAZA, then hides in an Hamas tunnel to save his life, then hears his grandparents caught it when they dropped a US bomb on a hospital, then two years later, he joins up for terror —- can you really blame him? It will take generations of work to repair what is being done to generations of kids.

    It’s a message Horist; the message has been received, and so far, it has had little effect on the supply or use of US arms to kill innocent Palestinian civilians unnecessarily. We should know, we avoid this crap in every war we are in and scream bloody murder over lives lost. Look at the Afghan pullout and the screaming over 13 Americans lost in one attack. At least the bombs are smart, Mr. Horist. It’s time for the Israeli’s to use them smartly too. The message is not STOP, but be smart about it.

  2. frank Stetson

    FYI; apparently, I got it wrong in my comments yesterday as arms have been delayed, not pending. One shipment of large bombs has been delayed — not abandoned, but delayed. It’s a message that Horist does not like. Thank God I used too many words and no one read it. :>)
    Biden has stated IF you keep bombing innocents in RAFA when you have all the intelligence, all the technology, to minimize the needless death of innocent civilians not at war with you, not participating in the heinous acts, THEN, the US will not continue to supply you with those weapons. You got a problem with that? I mean he said it and then he did it. Isn’t that what you want from him —- action supporting his words. Tough talk?

    So far, one shipment, 3,500 bombs delayed. Many more already in the pipeline and no problem backfilling the delay. It’s a message, not a shortage. Israel has not changed anything it’s doing because of the delay. Congress did more harm with it’s unnecessary delay caused by Republicans.

    Nothing done is part of a spending package Biden signed last month that included about $26 billion to support Israel and provide humanitarian aid.

    In March, Canada ceased future arms exports to Israel. Italy and Spain also stopped new licenses. In the Netherlands, the government paused sales of F-35 fighter jet parts due to lawsuit. In Germany, a similar suit seeks to stop weapon sales. Horist has not, but the world has had enough killing of innocent civilians seemingly for effect.

    Israel is also now accused, but more data needed, with breaking international law with their use of weapons. Sure, some politicking in that too, no doubt, but the message is sent, the message is clear, the message makes sense IMO, enough is enough so don’t use our bombs to needlessly kill innocent civilians while putting the hostages at increased risk. They are needless creating future terrorists across the globe.
    FYI: Reagan and Bush held back arms or money to Israel during the 1980’s for Reagan and 1990’s for Bush. Did you jump on the table and scream antisemitism then?

    It’s a message Horist; the message has been received, and so far, it has had little effect on the supply or use of US arms to kill innocent Palestinian civilians unnecessarily. We should know, we avoid this crap every time now. At least the bombs are smart, Mr. Horist.

    • larry Horist

      Frank Stetson …LOL… You seem to be suffering increasing reading comprehension problems. You write:

      “FYI; apparently, I got it wrong in my comments yesterday as arms have been delayed, not pending. One shipment of large bombs has been delayed — not abandoned, but delayed. It’s a message that Horist does not like. Thank God I used too many words and no one read it.”

      You note that the bombs were “delayed — not abandoned” as if said otherwise. I referred to Biden’s action as a “pause.” It is even in the headline. I noted that the future was uncertain. I assume you were responding to the Larry Horist of your imagination — the one you script as you straw man. LOL

      I am sure I could find more bs in your comment, but I avoid reading most of what you write.

      • frank Stetson

        While, as I noted, that correction was for another thread. It makes sense to me. As to what you said, or I said you said, I am not sure of what you are saying.

        I said: “It’s a message that Horist does not like.” Did I get that wrong? You like either the Biden message or my message now? Or is that the other Horist you drag out when feeling defensive in the discussion?

        Perhaps to need to emotionally describe my perceived personal problems some more. You seem obsessed with personality after all.

  3. Tom

    This article gets a Stop The Spin rating of STS-3.

    The reason is that while the facts may be accurate, they are strung together in an anti-Biden manner while some of the clarifying facts are missing in the string. If the reader looks back a few weeks, they will find that Biden was threatening holding up weapons shipments because Bibi Nits had not submitted to the Biden team a plan for how to deal with refugees and get them out of the way of the fight. We should remember Biden exercised patience while Israel waged war against Hamas and the Israeli Army (IDF) advised all Palestinians to go south. Well, now many Palestinians refugees are in the south of Gaza just as the IDF suggested – so what to do with them is the issue! 2000 lb. bombs will undoubtedly kill many refugees that went there on the advise of the IDF.

    And by the way, Israel has plenty of ordinance to get the job done. They do not need these heavy bombs. These shipments are for restock.

    Personally, I prefer to limit non-combatant casualties but this must be balances with the threat of future attacks by Hamas. Frank S is correct in that much of what is being done will only establish terrorist feelings in the children, and many bad memories which will fuel terrorism for decades to come just like in Ukraine where there will be decades on anti-Russian sentiments. But it is an illusion or pacifist’s wet dream to ever think that Palestinian anti-Israel sentiments can ever be stopped, and the bloodshed stopped. Palestinians have proven this over and over again. As far as Biden goes, he is pandering like any normal politician in an election year. Behind the scenes Biden is different that in front of the camera Biden – what Bibi Nits needs is getting through, just like when we found out within 24 hours after he signed the defense aid to Israel and Ukraine, that Ukraine already had a significant portion of what the bill was going to pay for. The world is a complicated place these days where the old “power projection model” that Larry suggests (the ole talk peace but carry a big stick from the Roosevelt Admin) no longer works when you are $24 Trillion in debt and have at least four significant rogue regimes taking big bites out of your ass on the world state.

    • larry Horist

      Tom … You say my facts are accurate, but my conclusion is not. LOL… At least that is better than you, with both facts and spin in error. You have taken on the Hamas propaganda spin. Israel is doing more than necessary to protect civilians. In fact, this war has one of the lowest combatant-to-civilian death rates in modern warfare. Israel provides advance warning to its own disadvantage. And you seem to embrace the Hamas death toll numbers. You are now arguing for Hamas to be allowed to exist and retain power. I never did believe that you were an objective independent — those you arrogantly claim to represent, I have seen nothing but radical left-wing comments from you lover the long haul.

      And as far as the Gaza children hating Jews, they have been indoctrinated to that from birth. Are you that oblivious to what they teach in their schools. The problem with this war is that it is not an entirely innocent civilian population. That are not being occupied by Hamas against their will. They elected them and remain as supporters. Remember how the French people cheered when we liberated France… and even the Iraq population when we brought down Saddam Hussein? Contrast that with the civilians in Gaza spitting throwing things at hostages. Calling for death to all Jews … the elimination of Israel from river to sea. The hatred of Jews and the desire to wipe them off the face of the earth is imbedded in larger population. And that is an inconvenient truth that you refuse to see..

      BTW I got a kick out of your evergreen praise of Frank. The Statler/Waldorf bromance lives on. LOL

  4. frank Stetson

    I agree Tom, especially about Horist :>)

    One thing going the right way is there is more reason to accept the Western World by many Islamic Nations. That’s one reason Hamas felt compelled to act; they felt the walls of hate getting tighter and tighter around their own little hell on Earth. Saudi’s move closer to Israel starting in 2023, Jordan, Egypt, in 2020, the Abraham Accord countries of UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, all normalizing relations with Israel.

    Can’t rationalize the actions of Hamas, but can see where they felt more cornered than ever, in their box of Israel’s apartheid.

    Point is it takes generations to build this hate, takes generations to change the hearts and minds. Massive civilian bombings does not help.

    Israel is at a better place with Arab nations today, this war is taking them backwards, especially as they continue their assault which seems to affect civilians much more than Hamas at this point.

    I do not think Horist or most Republicans will allow our military to act like this. We came apart at a baker’s dozen dead in the Afghan pullout.

    • Tom

      Yes I agree Frank. This Israel-Palestinian hate is older than you and I. I seriously doubt that it will ever cease. But a good point is that Israel is in a good position with more Arab states than ever before. AND, those Arab states are in fear of Iran which supplies Hamas. This is the right time to form some sort of coalition government for an autonomous province of Palestine within the State of Israel. But Bibi Nets will not ever allow this. A new dream for Palestinians needs to be created – but they have a part in it to make sure not to terrorize Israelis and to self report violators to the peace.

      • larry Horist

        Tom … You forgot to thank Trump for the Abram Accords, which created an atmosphere for better Israeli/Arab relationships. And that was accomplished because Trump proceeded negotiations without first having to commit to a two-state solution. The two state solution has failed because Hamas has consistently refused to accept the existence of Israel. As long as that is the Palestinian position, it is useless to waste time letting that requirement stop all progress in the Middle East. Essentially, those proffering for a two state solution see the two states as a democracy and a terrorist state hell bent on destroying the democratic nation, Unless you want to analyze biblical times, the modern enmity between Israel and Palestinians started in1948, with the creation of the Jewish State.

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