Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) wrote to President Joe Biden on Wednesday to demand that the administration do more to support Israel against Hamas, and do more to free American and Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Johnson’s letter comes as the Biden administration has admitted that Hamas, not Israel, rejected a proposed deal to achieve a ceasefire and the release of at least some of the hostages. Hamas wants Israel to end the war in any deal.
In the letter, first obtained via the Jewish Insider news website, Johnson says that Biden’s current stance makes it more difficult, not easier, to reach a deal on Hostage releases:
It has been 8 months since Iranian-backed terrorists invaded Israel and murdered over 1,200 Israelis, took 235 people– including American citzens — hostage, and committed acts of rape and other horrific atrocities that are clear violations of international law and human rights.
The failure to resolutely support Israel in its military objectives to eliminate Hamas has made it harder to facilitate the release of those being detained, including American hostages that Hamas brutally kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Instead of focusing on bringing home the Americans and Israelis held hostage, your administration has spent months pressuring and attempting to micromanage Israel. The United States must do everything in our power to support Israel’s right to self-defense, and work toward the immediate release of hostages, including the remaining American citizens.
Since the massacre on October 7th, multiple decisions by your administration have undercut Israel’s efforts to bring U.S. Hostages home, weakened the U.S.-Israel relationship, and eroded America’s ability to deter our enemies.
The letter says that Biden has not shown the “ironclad” commitment to Israeli security that he promised earlier in the war, and urges the administration to “put maximum pressure on Hamas and its enablers.”
Johnson closes by asking the White House to brief him and other congressional leaders by July 10 on the administration’s plans to address the situation, and on what is being done to help Israel fight Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.