Senate Arms Curbs Backing Jumps From 11 to 40, Lapid Warns
(MENAFN) Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid warned Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned “toxic” among American lawmakers who once backed Israel, citing a rapid rise in Senate support for limiting arms shipments to the country.
In a post on the US social media platform X, written after Democrats took both chambers of Congress in the US midterm elections, Lapid said Israel is bleeding support among legislators who still regard it as a strategic ally but reject Netanyahu and his government’s policies.
Lapid estimated that about 25 of the 435 House members, and fewer than 10% of senators, are firmly hostile to Israel. The greater danger, he said, is the swelling number of senators outside that bloc who are prepared to vote for arms restrictions.
By his count, 11 senators voted to restrict arms shipments to Israel two years ago. That rose to 27 a year ago and reached 40 in April.
“They oppose settler violence, they oppose a government they don’t understand, and above all, they oppose Netanyahu,” he wrote. “To them, anything associated with him is toxic.”
Lapid said Netanyahu abandoned Israel’s long-standing practice of courting both US parties when he spoke to Congress in 2015 to challenge then-President Barack Obama’s Iran policy.
He urged Israel’s next government to meet with lawmakers from both parties on its first trip to Washington.
Democrats won majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterms. The result ends Republican control of Congress and hands Democrats more influence over legislation and oversight.
In a post on the US social media platform X, written after Democrats took both chambers of Congress in the US midterm elections, Lapid said Israel is bleeding support among legislators who still regard it as a strategic ally but reject Netanyahu and his government’s policies.
Lapid estimated that about 25 of the 435 House members, and fewer than 10% of senators, are firmly hostile to Israel. The greater danger, he said, is the swelling number of senators outside that bloc who are prepared to vote for arms restrictions.
By his count, 11 senators voted to restrict arms shipments to Israel two years ago. That rose to 27 a year ago and reached 40 in April.
“They oppose settler violence, they oppose a government they don’t understand, and above all, they oppose Netanyahu,” he wrote. “To them, anything associated with him is toxic.”
Lapid said Netanyahu abandoned Israel’s long-standing practice of courting both US parties when he spoke to Congress in 2015 to challenge then-President Barack Obama’s Iran policy.
He urged Israel’s next government to meet with lawmakers from both parties on its first trip to Washington.
Democrats won majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterms. The result ends Republican control of Congress and hands Democrats more influence over legislation and oversight.
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