House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is calling for the Biden administration to be held accountable for the “appeasement” of the military group behind the attacks on Israel.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack against Israel early Saturday morning, killing at least 40 people and prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare the country was at war.
Mr. Scalise, Louisiana Republican, wrote in a social media post that he condemned the attacks before going after President Biden for a prisoner swap deal with Iran earlier this year that freed up $6 billion in oil revenue. The usage of those funds was intended to be restricted to humanitarian aid.
“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,” Mr. Scalise wrote on X.
Mr. Scalise is running to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House, and has been a longtime fixture in Republican leadership. Another possible candidate for the gavel, Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, also sought to blame Mr. Biden for the attack.
“I stand with Israel in the face of this brutal terrorist assault by Iran-backed Hamas,” Mr. Hern wrote on X. “This is another reminder why we should NOT be providing ransom payments to Iran which will be used to kill Israeli civilians. How much of Biden’s $6 billion ransom payment has gone to Hamas?”
So far, Mr. Biden himself has not released a statement regarding the attacks. The White House Press Office released a statement saying that senior national security advisers briefed the president on “the appalling terrorist attacks in Israel.”
“The President will continue to receive updates and White House officials remain in close contact with Israeli partners,” the press office said.
The president has a chilly relationship with Mr. Netanyahu that only grew colder when news broke about the prisoner swap deal. At the time, Mr. Netanyahu said that the money would go toward “terrorist elements sponsored by Iran.”
Top officials from the Biden administration have weighed in on the attacks, however. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that there was “never any justification for terrorism.”
“We stand firmly with the Government and people of Israel and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks,” Ms. Watson said. “National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has spoken to Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and we remain in close contact with our Israeli partners.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also condemned the attack.
“We unequivocally condemn the appalling attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israel,” Mr. Blinken said on X. “We stand in solidarity with the government and people of Israel and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks.”
Correction: A previous version of the story misspelled Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s first name.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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