Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

‘Who walks away from a friend during a time of war?’ Scalise says of Biden’s Israel policy

“If there’s any talk of ceasefire, President Biden, that ended on Oct. 7, when Hamas decided to barbarically murder, not just Jews in Israel, but others,” the House Majority leader said.

Steve Scalise
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) speaks at Sixth & I before 50 American Jewish leaders visit Israel, on Oct. 18, 2023. Photo courtesy of Bo Harris.

U.S. President Joe Biden has “changed his tune” toward the Jewish state, “especially in these last few months,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) charged on Wednesday.

“President Biden has walked away from the strong relationship we have with Israel. You saw Majority Leader Schumer’s comments calling for the prime minister of Israel to be replaced during a time of war. Who walks away from a friend during a time of war?” the Louisiana Republican said. “That’s when you stand with your friends the most, as House Republicans continue to do.”

“We are proud to stand with Israel and their right to defend themselves,” Scalise added.

“Do you stand with Israel or not in a time of war and their right to defend themselves from a terrorist organization who ended the ceasefire?” he added. “If there’s any talk of ceasefire, President Biden, that ended on Oct. 7, when Hamas decided to barbarically murder, not just Jews in Israel, but others.”

“They’re still holding over 100 hostages, including American citizens, and when President Biden called for a ceasefire, he didn’t precondition it on Hamas releasing the hostages,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “obstacle” to peace, along with Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and said there should be a change in Israel’s leadership during a March 14 talk on the Senate floor.

With Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez suspending her campaign, state Rep. Francesca Hong, a Democratic Socialists of America member with a record of anti-Israel activism, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes have emerged as the Democratic Party’s leading candidates ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss accused President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu of breaking the compact underlying U.S. military assistance to Israel by launching the war against Iran.
“I want to maintain the dialogue and the conversation, because I think they need to work harder to try to figure out how to get more friends instead of creating more enemies,” the Washington Democrat said.
“The rules that they’ve been using to build these data centers were not intended for these kinds of data centers,” David Greenfield, of Met Council, told JNS. “Now they’re happening very frequently, and they’re having unintended consequences.”
She helped turn JINSA into the “very significant face of the American Jewish community to the US military,” the JNS publisher said.
The 15 still appear on the AIPAC website in a section about candidates it supports, but users are no longer offered links with which to donate to the candidates.