Blinken defends rare move of bypassing Congress to send ammunition to Israel  

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s decision to bypass Congress and send ammunition to Israel, arguing Israel’s need to defend itself against the militant group Hamas justifies the rare move.

Asked on ABC News’s “This Week” why the Biden administration decided to push the sale of tank ammunition to Israel without congressional review, Blinken said, “When it comes to the weapons that we transfer, there are rules that go along with them. Those rules apply to Israel, as they do to any other country, including the way they’re used and the need, the imperative of respecting international humanitarian law.”

“In the case of these particular weapons that you — that you mentioned, Israel is in combat right now with Hamas, a group that viciously attacked it on Oct. 7, that had said that if given the opportunity, it will repeat Oct. 7 again and again and again,” Blinken continued. “And we want to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Hamas; a small portion of what has been requested is going through on an emergency basis.”

Besides this small portion, Blinken said, “Virtually everything else is going through the regular order, through Congress. It’s very important that Congress’s voice be heard in this.”

Hamas’s surprise assault against Israel on Oct. 7 left an estimated 1,200 people dead, including hundreds of civilians.

The Biden administration on Saturday authorized the sale of 13,981 tank shells to Israel, bypassing congressional rules. To do so, the Department of Defense used an emergency declaration from the Arms Export Control Act to sell the nearly 14,000 tank cartridges to Israel in its fight against Hamas. The cartridges are worth an estimated $106.5 million.

Blinken stressed the administration is trying to ensure civilian lives in Gaza are protected.

“We are deeply, deeply aware of the terrible human toll that this conflict is taking on innocent men, women and children, and we’re working to minimize that to the greatest extent possible,” he said.

Since launching a campaign to eliminate Hamas and its military capabilities in Gaza, more than 17,900 people have died in the territory, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. The rising death toll has sparked calls from some U.S. lawmakers and global leaders for a continued cease-fire to allow civilians to leave the territory or for more aid to be delivered.

“This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz further pressed Blinken, asking him, “Have you seen anything in the Israel campaign, with thousands and thousands of civilians killed, many, many of those children, that you believe should be investigated, or has been investigated?”

“We are in almost constant discussions with the Israelis about — to ensure that they understand what their obligations are, to make sure that we understand how they’re using whatever arms we’re providing to them, as well as more broadly,” Blinken said, adding he “cannot evaluate a specific instance in this moment.”

Raddatz then asked Blinken what leverage the U.S. has to make sure they are taking greater care in their campaign if the U.S. continues to send weapons without evaluating how they are used.

“We’re focused on what is their intent and do they have in place — are they taking necessary measures to make sure that they’re acting in adherence with international humanitarian law, international law, but then also, what are the results? And as I said before, there’s a gap between —” Blinken responded, to which Raddatz said, “We’ve seen the results.”

“Yeah, there’s a gap between the intent and the results. And that’s the gap that we’re trying to make sure is closed,” Blinken continued.

“This could be over tomorrow. If Hamas got out of the way of civilians, instead of hiding behind them, if it put down its weapons, if it surrendered. And what there ought to be as well is a call on part, on behalf of the entire world for Hamas to do just that … But in the absence of that, Israel has to take steps not only to defend itself against the ongoing attacks from Hamas, but against Hamas’s stated intent, to repeat Oct. 7 again and again if given the opportunity,” he continued.