GOP bill would force weapons transfers to Israel

The bill would force Biden’s hand in sending all aid to Israel
It’s unlikely the bill will be taken up in the Senate
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries denies split among Democratic support for Israel

Updated: May 15, 2024 / 04:03 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Thursday on a bill that would force President Joe Biden and the Democrats to follow through on arms transfers to Israel.

As Israeli forces continue the assault on Rafah, House Republicans are hoping to force a vote that would require the Biden administration to keep sending offensive weapons to Israel regardless of whether the president agrees with the operation.

Congressional sources tell NewsNation that Democratic leadership is trying to get their members to vote against this bill.

Republicans are essentially asking Democrats to vote on a bill that condemns their own party’s president and asks them to force Biden’s hand by taking away his discretion and mandating he sends all of the military assistance over to Israel.

The bill would also defund the offices of the State and Defense departments until all of the aid meant for Israel is sent.

House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told NewsNation Wednesday that he doesn’t believe there is a rift in the party over support for Israel.

“(The bill) is not a serious effort to protect America’s national security,” said Jeffries.

Despite Thursday’s anticipated vote in the House, the measure has little chance in the Senate and even less of a shot at receiving Biden’s signature.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel lacked a “credible plan” to protect some 1.4 million Palestinian civilians in Rafah and warned an Israeli attack could create an insurgency by failing to kill all Hamas fighters in the southern Gaza city.

“Israel is on a trajectory potentially to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas fighters left or if it leaves a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas,” Blinken said on NBC’s Meet the Press.

Israel’s military operation in Gaza has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The war was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 people taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel says 620 soldiers have been killed.

Reuters contributed to this story.