New this morning: Democrats embrace a tougher tack toward Israel as violence flares in the region. Biden now under pressure from the left to forcefully condemn Israeli settlements, looming evictions, & strikes like the one in Gaza this morning.
“We’re in this moment today because Hamas made a horrible mistake and fired rockets unprovoked into Israel. But we also got here because the Israeli government has effectively eliminated the prospect of a viable future Palestinian state,” Sen. @ChrisMurphyCT told me.
“it’s even more important for the United States to draw a harder line with the Israeli gov’t and demand that these settlements and these evictions and these displacements stop,” Murphy says. “Because the violence will not end...if the Palestinians feel like they have no future”
.@AOC pointed to a “strong generational shift” that is undergirding the disdain for the foreign policy establishment in Washington.
“The fact that this administration is even hesitating to take such a basic humane stance is disappointing and unacceptable,” she says
.@SpeakerPelosi: “Many of our members in our caucus are great friends of Israel but understand, also, that we respect the self-determination, that we want a two-state solution in the region. But that doesn’t give license to Hamas to bomb Israel.”
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
NEW: Lawmakers are opening up about the years-long failure to adequately address Havana syndrome & the more recent growing threat of directed-energy attacks on Americans overseas & at home.
“We owe this to our people,” Senate Intel chair tells me
“The fact that we’re five years into this and we’re still making sure we’ve got the protocols to one, take care of our people who are injured, two, [identify] who did this, and three, [identify] what tools or weapons did they use — these are all critical questions,” Warner says
Senate Intel vice chair Rubio agrees, says “it’s almost like the burden of proof is on these individuals, and given the nature of the injuries they’ve suffered, I don’t think it was initially treated the way it should’ve been.”
I reported in Feb. 2020 that Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), then-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, privately warned Johnson that his Biden investigations were aiding Russian disinformation efforts
Graham sticks up for Kerry: “I don’t know if we should trust that tape or not. If it’s true, it’s very damaging. I like John Kerry, but that would not be helpful & it would be very problematic if it were true. But let’s wait and see how authentic this is.” politico.com/news/2021/04/2…
If Zarif’s accounting is accurate, it would not be the first time that a top American official revealed classified information to a foreign adversary. In 2017, Trump reportedly discussed Israeli intelligence information during an Oval Office meeting with top Russian officials.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) calls for John Kerry’s resignation from the National Security Council. Sullivan says this is the first time he has called for a resignation.
Sullivan says Kerry is “arrogantly killing American jobs ... in the name of climate goals.”
On the Senate floor, Sullivan is now referencing the leaked tape of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif saying Kerry told him about covert Israeli operations against Iranian assets in Syria.
New: McConnell talks with @politico about the unfinished business of his 36-year Senate career — a longtime fascination with Myanmar so vital to his identity that after the recent military coup, Biden coordinated the U.S. response with him.
McConnell’s interest in Myanmar & friendship w/ Suu Kyi fly under the radar but it’s a defining aspect of a legacy he’s already cemented on judges & more.
The coup has elevated his role & influence even as he runs point on the opposition to Biden’s agenda politico.com/news/2021/04/1…
“On the domestic front, I have not yet witnessed something that I’ve been happy about,” McConnell told me. “But in this area, I think their instincts are good. I think they’re trying to do the right thing.”
He hasn’t spoken w/ his longtime friend Aung San Suu Kyi since the coup.
New: House moving to repeal 2002 Iraq war authorization today w/ bipartisan support. It’s the lowest-hanging fruit for proponents of reform, who now have an amenable White House & pure momentum on her side.
Even if Congress can repeal the Iraq AUMFs, crafting a replacement for the 2001 authorization will be a gargantuan task, w/ its unique complexities & the wide array of factions competing for influence.
Senators are skeptical of Biden’s openness to a new AUMF vote.
Cardin: “We have found a consistency among administrations not to be terribly cooperative in limiting their powers. Without the help of the Biden administration, it’s going to be challenging.” politico.com/news/2021/03/2…