POTUS’ pronouncement that he paused the transfer of 2000 lb bombs to Israel to prevent mass death in Rafah was well-received by peace activists and Progressive Democrats. In a head-spinning move however, the Administration revealed to the WSJ that it has submitted a “$1 billion weapons package to Congressional House and Senate Committees as part of the tiered review process.”To wit, www.wsj.com/... The package provides $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar shells. To capture the reaction to this two steps back part of the arms transfer line dance, the WAPO quotes Senator Van Hollen (D) thus:
“We should not be proceeding with any additional offensive arms transfers until the United States receives clear assurances from the Netanyahu government that the president’s concerns regarding Rafah have been addressed and his demands for the delivery of humanitarian assistance have been met. This move undercuts the president’s earlier decision and should not go forward.” www.washingtonpost.com/…
Senator Van Hollen’s advice is logical and coherent especially since PM Netanyahu’s thinking on this matter is abundantly clear. Barak Ravid of Axios reports that Bibi had a meltdown of sorts when POTUS paused the bunker busting bomb transfer:
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on a rant during a meeting with his security cabinet.”
"We are not a vassal state of the United States!" he declared, according to three people with knowledge of his remarks, including one of Netanyahu's aides.”
“An aide to Netanyahu recounted the prime minister telling the cabinet that he knew how to push back against U.S. pressure and would do it again if necessary.” To wit, www.axios.com/…
The PM depends on our weapons to prosecute the slaughter of a people, but has a temper tantrum when POTUS implements end use conditions on the weapons. Barak Ravid also reported that the White House has been inundated with letters from pro-Israel mega-donors such as Haim Saban who is miffed at the weapons pause decision:
"Bad, Bad, Bad, decision, on all levels, Pls reconsider," he wrote in a message obtained by Axios and other news outlets. He added: "Let's not forget that there are more Jewish voters, who care about Israel, than Muslim voters that care about Hamas."Read Saban’s letter here: www.axios.com/…
The inescapable conclusion which emerges is that foreign policy decisions are shaped by a myriad of influences. A leader may have a genuine desire to mitigate suffering, but feels compelled to appease the various socio- economic and political interests that are deemed critical for ensuring re-election. Those interests impose equal and opposite forces on the policy-making process resulting in a situation where the more things change, the more they stay the same. Hence, the dancers in the arms transfer line dance all end up in the same line where it all began.