- The Washington Times - Sunday, December 24, 2023

Sen. Bill Hagerty said Sunday the U.S. is sending “mixed messages” to Israel, with the Biden administration criticizing the U.S. ally’s counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza and with Congress not approving aid.

“From a diplomatic standpoint, we’ve been sending mixed messages to Israel. We talk about cease-fires. We talk about sending humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the Tennessee Republican said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We talked about putting conditions on aid.”

Congress is weighing a $110 billion national security package that would include $14.3 billion for Israel to combat Hamas, but the administration and others have increasingly been critical of the mounting civilian causalities in the Gaza Strip.

Mr. Hagerty also criticized President Biden’s approach to aggression from Iran, a leading sponsor of state terrorism that financially backs the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

“These mixed messages and the fact that we’ve allowed Iran to enrich itself and repopulate Hamas and Hezbollah in the Houthis with the weapons that they need, have created this situation,” Mr. Hagerty said.

• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.

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