Washington [US], May 18: The US House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring President Joe Biden's administration to quickly transfer to Israel the weapons that the country's parliament has approved, in the context that Israel continues to be isolated in the international arena.
The Supporting Security Aid to Israel Act was passed in the US House of Representatives with a result of 224 votes in favor - 187 votes against in the vote on May 16 (local time), according to Reuters. However, this move is essentially only symbolic, because US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer has announced that he will not put the bill to a vote, while the White House said President Biden will veto it. if the bill reaches the Oval Office.
Disagreement in Washington
The vote in the US House of Representatives took place after the Biden administration decided to temporarily suspend the transfer of 3,500 bombs (including 900 kg and 220 kg types) to Israel. The White House also warned that Washington would not provide weapons that Israel could use in its ground attack campaign in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.
The Republican Party, which controls the US House of Representatives, took advantage of this opportunity to attack Mr. Biden, accusing the leader of betraying Israel due to political pressure. The White House and many Democratic members objected that the bill proposed by the Republicans misleads and distorts the US president's policy on the Hamas - Israel conflict , according to ABC Radio.
Despite the delay of the above bomb shipment, Israel is expected to still receive additional weapons aid worth billions of dollars from Washington in the near future. On May 14, the US State Department officially notified this country's lawmakers to start the process of approving a $1 billion arms package for Israel in Congress.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to show its determination to "level" Rafah despite international pressure. According to AFP, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on May 16 that "additional forces will enter" the Rafah area and military operations "will be stepped up". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of this country announced on the same day that the operation in Rafah was a "critical" link in the effort to destroy Hamas. The leader said that Rafah is now "like an oxygen supply" so that the remaining Hamas battalions can "escape and resupply".
Israel continues to be isolated
Germany's DPA news agency recently reported that the foreign ministers of 13 countries, including all G7 countries except the US, signed a letter sent to Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz, calling on the country to stop the ground campaign. in Rafah. They also urged Netanyahu's government to open all border gates so that aid can enter Gaza, including the one-way Rafah border crossing that Israel controls.
Canada, a G7 member, said on May 16 that it imposed sanctions for the first time on a number of Israeli settlers whom it accused of committing acts of violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. On the same day, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the country refused to dock a ship carrying weapons to Israel.
The legal battle against Israel also heats up at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Netherlands. South Africa, the country that initiated the lawsuit accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, on May 16 asked the ICJ to order Israel to immediately stop the ground attack in Rafah, as well as to allow international investigators and journalists to international traffic entering blockaded territory.
"If the court does not act now, the possibility of rebuilding a livable society for Palestinians in Gaza will be extinguished, at least for the lifetimes of those who survive the current horrors." in Gaza", South Africa emphasized.
In response, Israel on May 17 said that Pretoria's argument was "completely different" from reality, reaffirming that there was no act of genocide in Gaza, according to AFP.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
