(PartiallyPolitics.com) – President Joe Biden has vowed he would withhold weapons from Israel if the nation moves ahead with invading Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas in Gaza.
In an interview on CNN with Erin Burnett on Wednesday, Biden said that he had “made it clear” that if the IDF “go into Rafah,” the U.S. wouldn’t be “supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah.”
However, explained that the decision to withhold weapons wouldn’t affect the U.S. sending defensive weapons for Israel and that instead, the U.S. would continue supplying weapons to ensure “Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome” and the Jewish nation’s “ability to respond to attacks.”
Although Israel has taken military action in Rafah, Biden has stated that Israel still hadn’t crossed his red line by entering into “population centers.”
Instead, Biden insisted that Israel’s military actions in Rafah were “right on the border” and that this was “causing problems… with Egypt.”
Last week, following the revelation that Biden and his administration were delaying sending a shipment of weapons to Israel despite the passage of a foreign aid package in Congress, Republicans took aim at Biden.
Biden’s comments come amid major backlash from the progressive left for giving Israel military aid, a backlash that could have a significant impact on the upcoming Presidential election.
So far, voters in Michigan, a crucial swing state, have threatened they may stay home during November’s elections or cast their ballot for another candidate.
The pressure on Biden from the progressive left has only been amplified by anti-Israel protests on college campuses across the country, where voting-age students have taken to the chant “Genocide Joe.”
When queried if he had been listening to the message of anti-Israel protesters, Biden replied, “absolutely.”
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