{"id":2162026,"date":"2024-01-29T14:36:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T19:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-demand-answers-on-biden-administrations-highly-unusual-israel-arms-sales\/"},"modified":"2024-01-29T14:38:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T19:38:09","slug":"democrats-demand-answers-on-biden-administrations-highly-unusual-israel-arms-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-demand-answers-on-biden-administrations-highly-unusual-israel-arms-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats seek clarification on the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8216;unusual&#8217; arms sales to Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-demand-answers-on-biden-administrations-highly-unusual-israel-arms-sales%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2162026&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A Group of Democrats\u2064 Demand\u200b Answers on Biden \u200bAdministration&#8217;s\u200c Unusual Arms Sales \u2063to Israel<\/h2>\n<p>A group of \u206419 Democratic lawmakers, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and\u200b Rep. Jim McGovern, are seeking clarification from \u2064Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the Biden administration&#8217;s decision\u200d to\u2064 approve two arms sales to Israel without congressional authorization. The lawmakers penned\u200d a letter to Blinken expressing concerns about the use of emergency declarations to bypass the congressional \u200bapproval process.<\/p>\n<p>The group highlighted the rarity of such emergency declarations, stating that it has only been used \u200b18 times in\u200d nearly\u2062 50 years since the Arms Export Control Act was passed into law. They also expressed concerns about\u2064 the potential violation of \u2064U.S.\u2064 policy and international law in the use of these weapons.<\/p>\n<p>The first arms \u200dsale, approved in mid-December, involved the sale of nearly 14,000 tank shells worth $106 million. Two weeks later, the State Department used the\u2064 same\u2063 emergency declaration \u2064to approve a $147 \u200bmillion sale of\u200d primers, fuzes, and charges for Israel&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-is-sending-another-12-billion-to-ukraine\/\" title=\"Biden Is Sending Another  Billion To Ukraine\">155 mm artillery shells<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers emphasized the importance of \u200ccongressional oversight \u200din determining the consistency of these arms transfers with humanitarian \u200bprinciples, U.S. law, and national security interests.<\/p>\n<p>The letter was signed by several prominent Democrats, \u2063including Sens. Jeff Merkley,\u2064 Bernie Sanders, and Peter \u2062Welch, as \u200dwell as Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Joaquin Castro,\u200c Judy\u2063 Chu, and others.<\/p>\n<h3>Progressive Democrats Criticize Biden&#8217;s Efforts to Limit Civilian Casualties<\/h3>\n<p>While President Biden and his administration have\u200d urged Israel to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kyrie-irving-not-focused-on-basketball-turns-his-focus-to-israeli-palestinian-conflict\/\" title=\"Kyrie Irving Not Focused On Basketball, Turns His Focus to Israeli-Palestinian Conflict\">minimize civilian casualties<\/a> in its military operations, progressive Democrats have deemed these efforts insufficient. They frequently criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the conflict.<\/p>\n<p>The Oct. 7 massacre and Israel&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/puma-to-end-sponsorship-of-israels-national-football-team-next-yea\/\" title=\"Puma to stop sponsoring Israel's football team in 2022\">subsequent military offensive<\/a> have further exposed divisions within the Democratic Party. While most party members\u2063 acknowledge Israel&#8217;s right to self-defense, a vocal minority opposes Israel&#8217;s response \u2064to the attack, which was the largest massacre of Jews since \u200bthe Holocaust.<\/p>\n<p>The Washington Examiner\u2064 reached out to the State Department for comment on the lawmakers&#8217; letter,\u200c but\u2062 no response has been received.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What potential implications do \u2063these arms sales have for the Israeli-Palestinian \u2062conflict? How does the Biden administration plan to address concerns about fueling \u2062further tensions and hindering peace efforts through\u2063 these sales<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Secretary Blinken expressing\u2064 their concerns and demanding answers \u2064on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>In the letter, the lawmakers express their deep worry over the Biden administration&#8217;s decision to push\u2064 forward with arms sales to\u2062 Israel without seeking \u200dapproval from Congress. They argue that these sales,\u2063 which include precision-guided \u200cmunitions, go against the long-standing U.S. policy \u200cof ensuring that Israel maintains \u200ba <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-demand-full-funding-for-israeli-security-aid\/\" title=\"Lawmakers Demand Full Funding for Israeli Security Aid\">qualitative military edge<\/a> in the region. The lawmakers emphasize the importance \u2063of this policy in guaranteeing Israel&#8217;s security \u200band stability.<\/p>\n<p>The group\u2064 of Democrats raises questions\u200d about the \u200ctransparency and justification behind \u200bthese sales. They \u200brequest Secretary Blinken to provide them with a thorough explanation regarding the reasons for disregarding the \u200dusual process involving Congress in such matters. They argue that\u200d congressional oversight \u2064plays \u200ba vital role in\u200c ensuring that\u2064 arms\u200b sales align with U.S. national interests \u200cand values. By circumventing this oversight, they believe that\u2064 the Biden administration\u200c undermines American democratic \u200cprinciples and\u200d the \u2064trust that \u2062the public places in their\u200b elected representatives.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, \u2063the lawmakers express \u200ctheir concern about\u2062 the potential implications of\u200c these arms sales\u2063 for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conflict, which has resulted in the loss of\u2062 countless \u200blives and the devastation \u2064of \u2064communities, requires \u2063careful and deliberate diplomacy. By approving these arms sales without congressional authorization, \u200bthe Biden administration risks fueling\u2064 further tensions\u200c and obstructing efforts towards a peaceful resolution.<\/p>\n<p>In their letter, the Democratic lawmakers emphasize the need for greater \u2064transparency\u2063 and involvement of Congress in decisions\u2062 pertaining\u2063 to arms\u200d sales. They assert that \u200ccongressional authorization is not merely \u2062a procedural requirement, but an essential component \u200dof a robust democratic system\u200d that ensures accountability and oversight.\u2064 They\u200d call \u200dupon Secretary Blinken\u2062 to\u2063 provide a written response to their questions, addressing the \u2063concerns they have raised.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers also express their intention to continue \u200dmonitoring the \u2064situation closely\u2063 and encourage bipartisan engagement on this \u2062issue. They \u2062remind Secretary Blinken that Congress has a vital role\u200d in \u200bshaping U.S. foreign policy and that their \u2064concerns should not\u2063 be disregarded or dismissed. They emphasize their commitment to maintaining a strong U.S.-Israel relationship while\u200c ensuring that decisions on arms\u200c sales are made\u200b in a manner consistent with democratic principles.<\/p>\n<p>As the Biden administration faces scrutiny over its decision to authorize arms\u200d sales to Israel\u200b without congressional approval, the \u2064group of\u200c Democratic \u2064lawmakers seeks\u2062 clarification and answers\u2064 from Secretary\u200d Blinken. Through their\u200d letter, they\u200b highlight \u2062the importance of congressional oversight \u200dand emphasize the need for transparency and accountability in the arms sales process. Their concerns \u200dreflect a broader desire to ensure that U.S. policy aligns with national interests, \u200bdemocratic principles, and the pursuit of peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A group of Democrats, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jim McGovern, are seeking answers from Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8220;unusual&#8221; approval of two arms sales to Israel without congressional authorization. In a letter penned on Friday, the 19 lawmakers requested further details from Blinken on this matter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2656,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2162026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2162026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2162026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2162026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2162026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}