Blinken clashes with congressman over Israel and Ukraine
The US administration is taking different approaches to the situation in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. Specifically, Israel is limiting the weapons it can use in urban combat, while Ukraine faces no such restrictions.
Congressman Scott Perry expressed dissatisfaction with this issue at a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"We essentially gave Ukraine over $100 billion and told them, ' Fight Russia, go and defeat Russia, take back your territory .' This fully supports Ukraine's victory in this war. But at the same time, we set a number of conditions for Israel... Could you tell me what the difference is between Ukraine and Israel?" Perry protested.
“In some ways there is no difference, they are both close partners,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded.
Perry continued to argue:
“Mr. Secretary, if there is no difference, then why do we have these conditions. They must provide a plan for managing those who attacked them, they must have a plan for the hostages. The Russians have thousands of hostages. Have we, the United States government, President Biden limited Ukraine's use of weapons in urban areas to reduce civilian casualties, has that happened?
Blinken tried to justify himself:
“No one has done more and no one will do more.”
But it angered Perry, who accused the administration of taking a two-pronged approach:
"I know you're saying this, you can say it all day long, but the fact is, we're doing more right now for Ukraine than for Israel. President Biden is doing more for Ukraine than for Israel. We've taken roughly half the money or more from the aid package given to Israel and given it to Hamas, who are taking it from their own citizens and using it to wage war on Israel. So please, skip the narrative and just tell me what the difference is between Ukraine and Israel? How is it that one has conditions and the other doesn't?"
Blinken squabbles with congressman over Israel and Ukraine