Lindsey Graham says he trusts Israel more than Lloyd Austin

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and other Republican senators spoke out against the president on Thursday Joe Biden’s threat to withhold certain weapons from Israel as prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders an invasion of Rafah.

Rafah is considered a Hamas stronghold, and it is also where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering. Biden spoke to CNN Erin Burnett Wednesday to denounce Israel’s plans to stage a large-scale attack on the Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip.

At a news conference, Graham looked into the camera and addressed Biden directly: “Mr. President, if you do not change these policies, you will have destroyed the last best chance to achieve lasting stability in the Middle East for generations.” Graham continued:

Saudi Arabia is watching. Would you as a nation sign a defense agreement with the United States knowing what we just did to Israel? Is signing a mutual defense agreement on the dotted line with the United States akin to outsourcing your national security to the United States? That is the message you send. Israel is asked to hand the war over to the United States. “Let’s plan how we’re going to do this, not you.” That’s a big mistake. First of all, I trust Israel more than I trust (the Minister of Defense Lloyd) Austin. He still said the withdrawal from Afghanistan was a good idea. In short, there is a lot at stake here. I think

the region and the world will question future relations with us, Mr. President, if you do not change your mind.

In his CNN interview, Biden said: “We will continue to ensure that Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that have recently come out of the Middle East. But it’s just wrong. We are not going to – we are not going to provide the weapons and artillery shells” for a Rafa invasion.

Netanyahu said in a statement: “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. I said we will fight with our fingernails if necessary. But we have much more than just fingernails and with that same strength of spirit, with God’s help, we will win together.”

Watch the clip above via Scripps News.