This week, Senator Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) delivered another Classic moment of bombast during a Senate budget hearing.. Citing reports that President Biden was halting arms shipments to Israel, Graham expressed his displeasure with his usual demonstrative hand gestures and a well-timed slap on the table. He even sat back and licked his lips after asking the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., about dropping atomic bombs to end World War II.
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LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports, and living life in America.
“If we withhold the weapons needed to destroy the enemies of the State of Israel at a time of great danger, we will pay a price,” Graham said. “Give Israel what it needs to fight the war it cannot afford to lose. “This is Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids.”
First of all, it is worth mentioning that Graham recently voted against the $95–billion foreign aid package – which included weapons for Israel – because Donald Trump told him to. Second, since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, the United States has fulfilled more than 100 military sales to Israel and repositioned warships in the Mediterranean.
In other words, Graham's line of questioning was theater; Stopping a shipment hardly tilts the war toward Hamas. The senator's poll numbers in South Carolina are just as bad as Biden's, so perhaps this would be a good TV moment for him at home.
“Are you telling me that if we hold back our weapons in this fight – the existential fight for the life of the Jewish State – we won't send the wrong signal?” —Graham asked.
Theatrics aside, he has a valid point. Hamas and similar terrorist groups may feel emboldened by the appearance of sunshine between the United States and Israel. Where Graham gets it wrong is inflating the importance of terrorists' opinions. Other factors matter more: The United Nations has said that half of Gaza is starving. There are more than a million civilians sheltered in Rafah and Israel has yet to present the Pentagon with a viable plan to limit casualties.
Rafah is reportedly home to the remaining Hamas strongholds, which is why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to invade it. And Israel already has enough bombs to carry out that attack.
What Graham's line of questioning didn't allow for is the answer to the most important question: why. Why would Biden pause the Rafah invasion? Surely concern about a larger humanitarian crisis is part of it.
Before Christmas, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III began to express concerns on Israel's approach toward Palestinian civilians in Gaza, saying: “The center of gravity is the civilian population, and if you push them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.”
Months later, Germany and England have also been critical of Israel. South American countries have severed diplomatic relations. Türkiye has suspended trade. The university protests that began in the United States have spread throughout the world. In Israel, thousands of people have expressed their disapproval at Netanyahu's house.
Biden is right to exert influence and try to protect civilians. He has also been right to respect Israel's right to defend itself. A balance must be struck on the issue of civilian casualties, and it is not an issue that the world superpower can avoid. Not when it comes to supplying the weapons. Biden has already confirmed American weapons have killed civilians in Gaza.
Disregard for Gaza civilians is not a new concern. In 2022, the United Nations published a report on Gaza in which Commissioner Miloon Kothari said: “There is so much 'silent harm' and psychological trauma, which may not be immediately evident, as a result of the erosion of economic, social and economic rights. cultural. . “These debilitating processes have serious short- and long-term consequences and must be addressed urgently.”
The current invasion goes far beyond “silent damage.” According to Gaza authorities, nearly 35,000 people have been killed and 80,000 injured since the Hamas attack on October 7. It is not known what the numbers will be if there is a full invasion of Rafah without a plan for civilian security.
Pausing does not mean that the United States has revoked its support for Israel. He notes that we also support the people of Gaza and value human life.
As Graham points out, pausing can send a message to our enemies. Also send a message to our friends.
