Lafayette Reporter

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and 46 other colleagues in urging the Biden-Harris administration not to delay weapons aid to Israel.

“This weekend, Hezbollah fired Iranian-made missiles into northern Israel, murdering 12 children and injuring dozens in the single deadliest attack on that part of the country since October 7. The ultimate responsibility for this attack rests with Hezbollah and the ayatollahs in Iran. However, while Tehran financed the attack and Hezbollah conducted it, your fear of escalation has left Israel exposed and our enemies emboldened,” the senators wrote.

“We write once again to protest your administration’s partial arms embargo against Israel. The actions of the Biden-Harris administration run counter to our long history of robust military cooperation with Israel and cast doubt upon the reliability of the United States as a long-term security partner. Your actions also violate the will of Congress as expressed in the recent supplemental that funded emergency military support to Israel,” they continued.

“When Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly raised the weapons hold in June, your administration adamantly denied the accusation. You ignored Congressional inquiries . . . All the while, you were deliberately delaying the delivery of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Israel. . . . While your administration delays, Hamas continues to wage war against Israel, the Houthis continue to attack in the Red Sea, and Hezbollah continues its onslaught in northern Israel,” they wrote.

In July, Kennedy issued a statement upon attending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress. Kennedy helped introduce the Israel Security Assistance Support Act to condemn the Biden-Harris administration’s pause on arms transfers to Israel and require reversing its pause.

In May, Kennedy helped introduce a resolution condemning the Biden-Harris administration’s decision to halt shipment of American-made ammunition and weapons to Israel. He also helped introduce a bipartisan resolution rejecting an International Criminal Court prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In December 2023, Kennedy spoke on the Senate floor urging continued support for Israel until it succeeds in destroying Hamas.

The full letter is available here.