Republican Senator Pete Ricketts has accused the Biden administration of "strengthening" the Hamas terror group by withholding weapons from Israel.
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Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) has launched a scathing attack on President Biden's decision to withhold military aid from Israel, claiming that it has inadvertently empowered Hamas.
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Ricketts, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, appeared on FOX Report with Jon Scott and expressed his belief that the Biden administration's actions have demonstrated their "incompetence."
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"The administration said they had an ironclad friendship with Israel, and now they're demonstrating that it doesn't mean too much," Ricketts asserted.
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Ricketts drew parallels between the current conflict with Hamas and the Biden administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, accusing Biden of "absolutely mismanaging" both situations.
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"He's looking for a credible plan for protecting civilians, that they wouldn't know a credible plan if it came up and bit them on the behind. These people are completely incompetent and they're absolutely mismanaging this," Ricketts said.
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Ricketts argued that Biden's withholding of weapons has played into the hands of Hamas, emboldening the terror group and undermining efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.
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"Hamas was negotiating to come up with a cease fire to return the hostages. And then Biden announces he's going to withhold weapons. And Hamas is like, well, my hand has just been strengthened. Why would I negotiate now?" Ricketts explained.
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Ricketts also criticized Biden's threats to withhold offensive aid from Israel, arguing that it violates the country's status as a key U.S. ally.
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"The idea that we would cut off military aid to an ally, our only true, true ally in the entire region, is absolutely preposterous. It's just beyond my comprehension that anyone would do that," Ricketts stated.
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The House Oversight Committee, led by Republican Chairman James Comer, has launched an investigation into Biden's decision to withhold aid from Israel, questioning its legality and timing.
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Former President Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress have accused Biden of engaging in a quid pro quo with Israel, conditioning or withholding aid to influence its foreign policy.
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Ricketts' comments add to the growing chorus of criticism against the Biden administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, with many Republicans accusing the president of appeasing Hamas and undermining Israel's security.
