House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, in which he said the President was failing to take adequate action to help free the remaining American hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
“I write today to express grave concern that your administration is not taking sufficient steps to ensure the release of American hostages who are detained by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. It has been 8 months since Iranian-backed terrorists invaded Israel and murdered over 1,200 Israelis, took 235 people-including American citizens hostage, and committed acts of rape and other horrific atrocities that are clear violations of international law and human rights,” Johnson wrote in the letter.
“The failure to resolutely support Israel in its military objectives to eliminate Hamas has made it harder to help 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,” added Johnson.
“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,” wrote the House Speaker.
He accused Biden of taking actions that have undercut Israel’s efforts to bring the US hostages home, weakened the US-Israel relationship, and eroded America's ability to deter its enemies.
“Today, the hostage situation is deteriorating quickly, and American families feel betrayed by a President who is allowing their loved ones and other hostages to languish. The undermining of Israel, especially as it is fighting a war for its survival from Iranian-backed groups on multiple fronts, is unconscionable, unacceptable, and contradicts your claim to have an ‘ironclad’ commitment to Israel's security. It is long past time your administration instead put maximum pressure on Hamas and its enablers,” wrote Johnson.
He called on Biden to “leverage all American options and influence to support Israel in bringing these hostages home, and restore the use of emergency authorities to ensure Israel has everything it needs immediately to defeat these threats and restore security.”
The House Speaker’s letter followed Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent video, in which he expressed astonishment at moves from the Biden administration to hold up munitions shipments to Israel during the war against Hamas.
Later, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacted with seeming bewilderment to Netanyahu's statement.
"We genuinely do not know what he is talking about. We just don't," she told reporters. "There was one particular shipment of munitions that was paused."
"We continue to have these constructive discussions with Israelis for the release of that particular shipment," she added. "There are no other pauses, none, no other poses or hold in place. Everything else is moving in due process."
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby commented on Netanyahu’s video, telling reporters that the Prime Minister’s claims are “vexing and disappointing to us as much as it was incorrect.”
Netanyahu said in response to Kirby's statements, "I am prepared to suffer personal attacks provided that Israel gets the munitions it needs from the US."
Earlier this week, however, US officials confirmed that there has been a decline in the number of arms shipments from the US to Israel in recent months, including one shipment of precision bombs that was delayed.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Following the meeting, Gallant said that “significant progress” was made on the issue of resuming the supply of munitions to Israel.