Democrats "are deeply divided" over President Joe Biden's "unconscionable" decision to withhold offensive weapons Israel could use to attack the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Monday.
In an interview on "Wake Up America," Lawler said the president's stance is "putting electoral politics ahead of all other considerations."
"Just a few days ago, I was in the Capitol, where he stood before a group of Holocaust survivors and said that his support of Israel is ironclad and that we will support them," Lawler recounted. "And then to basically withhold aid is really unconscionable."
Biden's decision to pause the shipment of heavy bombs to Israel for use in the dense urban area of Rafah drew an immediate rebuke from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
"Democrats are divided, they are deeply divided," Lawler declared. "You have a lot of Jewish Democrats — colleagues like [Reps.] Josh Gottheimer [R-N.J.], Jared Moskowitz [R-Fla.] who have been staunch in their support of Israel and believe that the United States needs to do everything that we can to support our greatest ally."
"Seventy-six years ago, [former President] Harry Truman recognized the state of Israel 11 minutes after its founding," Lawler said. "Eleven minutes could cost Israel a lot here today because of Joe Biden's inaction, and it really is distressing to a lot of people, and I think that's why you see 26 Democrats speaking out.
"They realize they have antisemites in their party," Lawler said, adding: "You have members of Congress joining in chants 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' calling for the eradication of the state of Israel … showing up at Columbia University, joining in with students who are chanting 'we are Hamas.'"
The division, Lawler asserted, "speaks volumes to the problems within the Democratic Party right now with respect to antisemitism and support for the state of Israel."
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Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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