President Biden's decision to sell weapons to Israel after withholding a previous shipment has drawn mixed reactions, with some Democrats expressing frustration and Republicans demanding an end to any blockages.
The Biden administration's plan to sell a billion dollars worth of weapons to Israel has sparked confusion and criticism within the president's own party. After initially withholding a bomb shipment over concerns about the potential use of the weapons in Gaza, the administration's decision to sell them has left some Democrats questioning the administration's policy towards Israel.
According to a report in Politico, Democratic lawmakers expressed frustrations with the administration's messaging on the weapons sales, saying it was "lost in translation." One anonymous Democrat complained that Secretary of State Antony Blinken's strong rebuke of Israel, after the new weapons deal was made public, only confused lawmakers even more.
"If that was the cleanup, they suck," the Democrat told Politico.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, echoed these concerns. "It was not clear what their motive was," Cardin said, according to the report.
"If the purpose was to put a hold on the heavy bombs that should not be used in Gaza, that's one thing, but that's not how it was explained," the senator continued. "The administration has to clarify this, but my understanding is they were only concerned about this one particular weapon."
White House officials explained that the pause of weapons to Israel before its invasion in Rafah was a singular exception in its overall strong support for its Middle East ally. Privately, officials admitted that their messaging had left some confusion "about what exactly was paused."
The Biden administration's stance on Israel has prompted criticism from within the president's own party. Several pro-Israel Democrats slammed Biden's decision to halt the weapons sale to Israel last week, with one suggesting the maneuver was politically motivated.
"I suspect it's pandering to the far left," Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., told Axios. "It looks like election year politics was driving it. That's my impression."
Rep. Ritchie Torres, President Joe Biden, and Sen. John Fetterman. (Getty Images)
"Hard disagree and deeply disappointing," Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said earlier this month in response to Biden's claims that he would potentially halt shipments.
Republicans have also put pressure on the administration, putting forward a bill for a Thursday vote that would stop Biden from blocking offensive weapons aid to Israel.
National security communications advisor John Kirby tried to clarify the administration's position on U.S. weapons sales to Israel in a statement last week. He reaffirmed the Biden administration's commitment to Israel, saying Biden will "continue to ensure that Israel has all of the military means it needs to defend itself against all of its enemies, including Hamas."
"For [Biden], this is very straightforward: He’s going to continue to provide Israel with all capabilities it needs, but he does not want certain categories of American weapons used in a particular type of operation in a particular place. And again, he has been clear and consistent with that," Kirby continued.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment by Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this article.
