For all the Biden administration’s talk about the need for a ceasefire and a two-state solution, and its recent criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war, it has continued to support the Jewish state in deed. On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has approved a massive shipment of armaments to Israel, and that an internal assessment concluded that their potential use raises no human-rights concerns.
By contrast, the Senate passed a bill last week allocating military aid to Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel, but it is now being held up by the House of Representatives. Matthew Continetti comments:
The obstacle isn’t substantive. It’s personal. House Speaker Mike Johnson won’t bring the Senate bill to the floor. But he can correct his mistake. And if he chooses not to, then members of both parties should support a discharge petition that would allow the pro-Israel, pro-Ukraine majority to speak.
The world is a dangerous place. America’s allies face existential threats. Vladimir Putin intends to absorb Ukraine into his resurgent Russian empire. Iran’s theocrats seek to destroy the Jewish state by proxy wars and nuclear arms. Xi Jinping wants Beijing to rule Taipei. We owe it to our friends—and to the generations of Americans who sacrificed for peace—to do what we can to deter aggressors.
The critics argue that ending aid will bring the Ukraine war to a close. Not so. Russia will continue to fight. Ukrainians will resist. Even if the combatants agreed to a ceasefire along the current lines of control, Putin would resume the invasion at his convenience. He’s done it before. And he has targets beyond Ukraine. At this moment, Russia is probing Finland and Estonia—NATO members both.
A minority of lawmakers are exploiting their leverage in a historically narrow House majority to paralyze the Congress, abandon our allies, and embolden our adversaries. Americans deserve better. They deserve a voice.
Read more on Washington Free Beacon: https://freebeacon.com/columns/let-them-vote/