US Supporting Israel, but Did White House's $6B Ransom Payment to Iran Help Fund the Attack?
The White House is showing strong support for Israel in its hour of need, dispatching a carrier strike group and supplies to the Middle East. But some are asking if the U.S. will keep standing beside Israel as the casualties in Gaza rise when Israel begins its massive hostage recovery effort.
The U.S. has ordered the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel, and the Pentagon is also sending supplies of munitions. The Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers.
Palestinian terrorists say they're holding over 130 people as hostages after they abducted them from Israel and dragged them into Gaza. Many of them are women, children, and the elderly.
At least 9 Americans were murdered by Hamas in the attack, and seven are missing or unaccounted for – numbers that could go higher.
President Biden condemned the attack, promising continued military assistance for Israel, and calling on all countries to stand against terrorism.
"The United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back," Biden said.
But with multiple sources now reporting that Iran helped plan the devastating action against Israel, Republican congressman Steve Scalise, a candidate for House Speaker, tweeted: "The Biden Administration must be held accountable for its appeasement of these Hamas terrorists, including handing over billions of dollars to them and their Iranian backers."
The Biden Administration must be held accountable for its appeasement of these Hamas terrorists, including handing over billions of dollars to them and their Iranian backers.
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) October 7, 2023
When Secretary of State Antony Blinken was shown that tweet on ABC's This Week, he called those billions of dollars that were given back to Iran, "Iranian money."
Blinken said the attack was funded by "...Iranian resources, not American taxpayer dollars. These were resources that Iran had acquired from the sale of its oil that was stuck in a bank, in this case, in South Korea."
And with the prospect of a protracted bloody war not only between Israel and Hamas but possibly Iran, Republicans are already worried the White House could waver in its commitment to Israel.
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Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton said on CNN, "We have to be with them in the long run. President Biden often says that we're going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. After yesterday's savage butchery in Israel, surely President Biden will also support Israel for as long as it takes to destroy Hamas."
The response in the Middle East has been mostly anti-Israel, including Saudi Arabia's statement blaming Israel for the attack, possibly putting the Saudi-Israeli peace deal in jeopardy.
At an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council Sunday, the United States demanded that all 15 members strongly condemn the attack. But Russia blocked the move and the council took no action.
