In a passionate statement, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina emphasized the importance of continuing the supply of munitions to Israel. He drew a historical parallel, comparing the ongoing conflict in Gaza to the events of World War II. Senator Graham asserted that the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan at that time was the correct course of action in order to bring an end to the conflict.
During an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Graham made a comparison to emphasize that Israel is currently facing an “existential threat” from adversaries like Hamas. He emphasized the need for increased firepower to effectively resolve the ongoing conflict.
During the 1940s, Japan and Germany posed an existential threat to the United States, as seen from his perspective.
According to Graham, when our nation was confronted with the imminent destruction after Pearl Harbor, we made the decision to bring an end to the war by utilizing nuclear weapons to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The senator made these comments in response to President Joe Biden’s warning that the US would cease providing bombs and artillery shells to Israeli leaders if they were to invade Rafah without a clear strategy to safeguard civilians. Rafah, located in the southern part of Gaza, has become a haven for over a million Palestinians seeking refuge from the ongoing violence.
Republicans in Congress, including Graham, strongly criticized Biden’s threat. In fact, Graham even made repeated references to the atomic bombings in his interview.
During the interview with Welker, Graham questioned the ethical justification behind the United States’ decision to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a means to end the threat of war. He expressed his belief that such actions were deemed acceptable at the time.
He added that Israel should do whatever it takes to ensure its survival as a Jewish state.
During the discussion, Welker confronted Graham with the argument made by military officials who claim that modern weapons technology is highly accurate and capable of minimizing civilian casualties.
Senator Graham responded dismissively to Welker’s remark, expressing his disagreement by stating, “Yeah, these military officials that you’re talking about are full of crap.”
Graham has mentioned Nagasaki and Hiroshima before to support the idea of supplying weapons to Tel Aviv.
During a press conference on Friday, Senator Graham responded to Biden’s threat to supply weapons to Israel by stating, “We saved a million Americans from having to go and invade Japan. So, no. Israel’s tactics are not my problem.”
During a congressional hearing on Wednesday, he reiterated a similar comment.
Israel initiated incursions into Rafah earlier this month, disregarding the warning from the White House.
The Biden administration has temporarily halted the delivery of approximately 3,500 bombs to Israel due to concerns that these weapons may be utilized in Rafah. This decision comes amidst mounting criticism from Democrats in Congress who are expressing dissatisfaction with President Biden’s backing of Tel Aviv.
The United States provides Israel with approximately $3.8 billion annually in weapons and defense systems. In April, Congress approved a military aid package of $15 billion for Israel, which includes around $5 billion designated for replenishing weapons stocks.
Business Insider reached out to Graham’s representative for comment outside regular business hours, but did not receive an immediate response.
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