[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 682 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 682
Condemning the decision by the Biden Administration to halt the
shipment of United States made ammunition and weapons to the State of
Israel.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 9, 2024
Mr. Graham (for himself, Mr. Cotton, Ms. Collins, Mr. Cruz, Ms. Ernst,
Mr. Marshall, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Rubio, Mr.
Hagerty, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Hawley,
Mr. Daines, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Sullivan, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Budd, Mr.
Mullin, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Romney, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Wicker,
Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Thune, Mr. Young, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Rounds,
Mr. Risch, Mr. Braun, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr.
Tuberville, Mr. Lankford, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson,
Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Lee, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Moran, Mr. Vance,
and Mr. McConnell) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the decision by the Biden Administration to halt the
shipment of United States made ammunition and weapons to the State of
Israel.
Whereas the United States is the largest supplier of military aid to the State
of Israel, providing $158,000,000,000 in bilateral assistance and
missile defense funding since World War II, which has been used by the
State of Israel in part to protect itself from attacks by the Islamic
Republic of Iran and its proxies;
Whereas, in 2016, the United States and the State of Israel signed a third 10-
year Memorandum of Understanding, under which the United States pledged
to provide $38,000,000,000 in military aid, subject to congressional
appropriation, to the State of Israel between fiscal years 2019 and
2028;
Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprovoked attack against the
State of Israel, brutally murdering more than 1,200 innocent men, women,
and children while injuring thousands more;
Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Hamas took more than 240 innocent civilians
hostage, including babies, children, women, elderly, Holocaust
survivors, and United States citizens, and is still holding at least 128
of these innocent civilians against their will;
Whereas, on October 8, 2023, the State of Israel officially declared war on
Hamas and has since dismantled 20 of the 24 Hamas battalions in Gaza, in
part using ammunition and weapons supplied by the United States;
Whereas, on October 8, 2023, White House officials announced that they had
conveyed to the Government of Israel that additional assistance for the
Israeli Defense Forces was now on its way to the State of Israel with
more to follow over the coming days;
Whereas, on November 1, 2023, Ghazi Hamad, a member of the political bureau of
Hamas, stated, ``We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do it twice
and three times. The Al-Aqsa Deluge[, the name Hamas gave its October
7th attack,] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a
third, a fourth . . . We are the victims of the occupation. Period.
Therefore, nobody should blame us for the things we do. On October 7th,
October 10th, October one-millionth, everything we do is justified.'';
Whereas, on January 2, 2024, the intelligence community of the United States
declassified an assessment that stated, ``The U.S. Intelligence
Community is confident in its judgment on this topic and has
independently corroborated information on HAMAS and PIJ's use of the
[Al-Shifa] hospital complex for a variety of purposes related to its
campaign against Israel.'';
Whereas, on March 6, 2024, United States officials told Members of Congress that
the Biden Administration had approved and delivered more than 100
separate arms sales to the State of Israel since the October 7th attack,
including thousands of precision-guided munitions, small-diameter bombs,
bunker busters, small arms, and other lethal aid;
Whereas, on March 29, 2024, it was reported the Biden Administration approved
new arms packages worth billions of dollars for the State of Israel that
included more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound
bombs;
Whereas, on March 30, 2024, following the report of the approved new arms
packages, a White House official stated, ``We have continued to support
Israel's right to defend itself. . .Conditioning aid has not been our
policy.'';
Whereas, on April 2, 2024, it was reported the Biden Administration supported a
plan to provide $18,000,000,000 worth of F-15 fighter jets, munitions,
training, and other support to the State of Israel, with the Department
of State sending an informal notice to the respective congressional
committees to start a legislative review process for the order;
Whereas, on April 10, 2024, President Joseph R. Biden, while speaking publicly
at the White House, stated, ``As I told Prime Minister [Benjamin]
Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel's security against these threats
from Iran and its proxies is ironclad--let me say it again, ironclad.'';
Whereas, on April 13, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris stated, ``President
Biden and I met with our national security team following Iran's attacks
against Israel. Our support for Israel's security is ironclad, and we
stand with the people of Israel in defense against these attacks.'';
Whereas, on April 13, 2024, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated,
``This morning, I spoke with my Israeli counterpart, National Security
Advisor Hanegbi, to discuss events in the Middle East. During the call,
I reiterated the United States ironclad commitment to the security of
Israel.'';
Whereas, on April 13, 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran launched more than 300
missiles and drones towards the State of Israel and innocent civilians
in an unprecedented attack;
Whereas, on April 13, 2024, 99 percent of the projectiles launched by the
Islamic Republic of Iran were intercepted by the State of Israel and its
allies, using fighter jets, air defense systems, and other weapons that
were supplied to the State of Israel in part by the United States;
Whereas, on April 14, 2024, following the attack on the State of Israel by the
Islamic Republic of Iran, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated,
``The United States condemns Iran's attack on Israel. As the President
said, our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran is
ironclad.'';
Whereas, on April 14, 2024, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III underscored
the United States commitment to Israel saying, ``I spoke to Israeli
Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant for a second time today to reiterate
ironclad U.S. support for Israel's defense in light of Iran's
unprecedented attack from Iranian territory. We reviewed the
extraordinary defensive measures and strong cooperation undertaken to
defeat this Iranian attack against Israel.'';
Whereas, on May 5, 2024, it was reported the Biden Administration put a hold on
a shipment of United States made ammunition to the State of Israel the
previous week, the first time since the since the October 7th attack
that the United Stated stopped a weapons shipment intended for the
Israeli military;
Whereas, on May 5, 2024, Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benjamin
Netanyahu hinted at possible tensions regarding support being provided
by the Biden Administration, stating, ``In the terrible Holocaust, there
were great world leaders who stood by idly; therefore, the first lesson
of the Holocaust is: If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend
us. And if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone.'';
Whereas, on May 6, 2024, it was reported that since January 2024 the Biden
Administration has effectively paused the sale of up to 6,500 Joint
Direct Attack Munitions in a sale worth as much as $260,000,000 to the
State of Israel;
Whereas, on May 6, 2024, it was reported that since March 2024 the Biden
Administration has effectively paused the sale of up to $700,000,000 in
120 mm tank ammunition, $500,000,000 in tactical vehicles, and less than
$100,000,000 in 120 mm mortar rounds;
Whereas, on May 6, 2024, despite multiple reports of the Biden Administration
putting a hold on a shipment of United States made ammunition and
effectively pausing additional weapon sales to the State of Israel, the
Biden Administration stated, ``[O]ur security commitments to Israel are
ironclad'';
Whereas, on May 7, 2024, the Biden Administration confirmed the report from May
5, 2024, of the Biden Administration putting a hold United States made
ammunition to the State of Israel, stating, ``[W]e began to carefully
review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that might be
used in Rafah. . .[and] paused one shipment of weapons last week. It
consists of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs.''; and
Whereas, the decision by the Biden Administration to withhold the provision of
critical United States made ammunition and weapons to the State of
Israel will only embolden and encourage the Islamic Republic of Iran and
its proxies, including Hamas, to conduct more attacks against the State
of Israel, which in turn will complicate efforts to reach any hostage
deal with Hamas or a broader normalization deal between the State of
Israel and other countries in the region: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) condemns any decision by the Biden Administration to
halt the shipment of United States made ammunition and weapons
to the State of Israel;
(2) demands that the Biden Administration continue to
fulfill the military aid requests from the State of Israel in
order to provide the weapons needed to defeat Hamas and defend
against attacks from the Islamic Republic of Iran and its
proxies;
(3) reaffirms the importance of the long history of the
United States providing military aid to the State of Israel and
willingness to expedite delivery of such aid in times of
crisis; and
(4) upholds the commitment of the United States to the
State of Israel's security and long-term prosperity.
<all>