Israel
GOP Senators rail against Biden for changing his tune on Israel

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) along with eleven other GOP Senators held a press conference Wednesday to reiterate their support for Israel, in hopes that the Biden administration will do the same. This comes after almost 20 GOP senators signed a resolution Tuesday to condemn Hamas attacks on Israel.
The senators held the press conference out of frustration with the current administration’s handling of the conflict. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) said the security situation is out of control at the event. Young also signed the resolution.
“Eight months ago we had unprecedented peace breaking out in the Middle East,” the senator said, who has served in both bodies of Congress for ten years. “But here we are months later, the wheels have literally fallen off the security situation.”
Many senators pointed out the president’s changing tone in the days since the violence started. “Israel has a right to protect itself,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said, echoing other senators. He pointed out that this was a direct quote from Biden early in the conflict.
But his messaging seems to be affected by the left. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) talked about how Biden’s message “then became he supports a cease fire. Then his aide said well he talked really tough to Benjamin Netanyahu. Today he said he expect significant deescalation from Israel. Joe Biden pretty soon is going to be supporting a resolution to stop arms sales to Israel.”
Cotton also announced during the conference that House Democrats introduced an additional resolution to block military resupply to Israel.
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) disagreed with the House Democrats’ proposal. Instead, Lankford said that “the strongest negotiating position we have” is remaining closely allied to Israel. Otherwise, it “stirs this chaos that’s in the region.”
Moreover, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AL) pointed to “one of the fortunate things that’s happening.” He said, “Civilian lives are being saved because of years of cooperation between the United States in Israel on missile defense.”
And Sen. Cindy Highsmith (R-MS) promised continued support for Israel “They are our allies. We are not going to abandon them at this time.”
Finally, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-AK) also brought attention to a diplomatic response to the conflict. “We still don’t have a nominee for the ambassador to Israel,” Marshall said. He called it a “signal to go ahead” for Iran and Hamas.
You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

Middle East
Islamic Jihad shows off ‘tunnel city’ for next attack on Israel

Mohammed Raad, the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc in the Lebanese parliament asked for a mere $9 billion to destroy Israel completely. “The resistance only needs $9 billion and there will be nothing left called Israel in the region” he said over the weekend.
Meanwhile, another terrorist organization shows how they too are planning to obliterate the state of Israel. Islamic Jihad gave a media tour in Gaza, where the terror group touted its offensive and defensive tunnel systems.
“In a ‘tunnel city’ under the sandy soils of southern Gaza, Palestinian terrorists are preparing for the next conflict with Israel, as tensions in Jerusalem threaten to escalate” reports the Times of Israel.
The underground tunnels “leave no trace on the surface” and entrances are “discreetly tucked into the foot of a small hill.” The tunnels are also “complete with electric lights, a ventilation system and telecoms cables, the tunnels also have small rooms for storing weapons and ammunition.”
Abu Hamza, Al-Quds Brigade spokesman of Islamic Jihad said “the tunnels have been repaired and the rocket stocks have been replenished” since last year’s war. He also thanked Iran for its support for helping to rebuild and replace its weapons cache.
Another source who asked not to be named, said the terror group has “a large number of offensive tunnels that stretch deep into [Israel] and are linked up to a system of drones.” He also said the group’s rockets are capable of reaching the whole of Israel.
“The rockets are on high alert and we’re waiting for the leadership to decide” said a gunman sitting close to one of the tunnel entrances with a group of gunmen under the trees.
Times of Israel reports on the latest tensions:
Weeks of deadly violence including a series of Palestinian terror attacks in Israel, Palestinian riots and a police crackdown around Jerusalem’s Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque, and stepped up IDF operations in the West Bank have prompted Islamic Jihad to threaten an escalation.
After two deadly attacks in Tel Aviv and Bnai Brak, the IDF carried out large-scale raids in the West Bank, notably the Jenin area from which the terrorists hailed.
Those operations sparked intense firefights which killed several fighters from Islamic Jihad, which is supported by Israel’s nemesis Iran.
And on Monday evening, a rocket was fired from Gaza into Israel, prompting an Israeli airstrike against a weapons factory.
No faction has yet claimed responsibility, but the incident — the first of its type since January — heightened fears of a further escalation.
-
Politics3 days ago
Top CA Democratic Party Leader Resigns Amid Corruption Probe
-
Elections7 days ago
BREAKING: Clinton herself ‘agreed’ to leak Trump-Russia allegations to press
-
Politics7 days ago
NBC News finally reports: ‘Hunter Biden hard drives shows firm took in $11 million…spent it fast’
-
education4 days ago
Original National School Boards Association letter asked Biden to deploy National Guard and Military Police