FALCON POWERS – In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham claimed that Israel has the “right” to strike Gaza with a nuclear bomb, likening it to the United States’ use of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II, describing it as the “right decision.”
Graham stated, “This was the right decision (nuclear strike). Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war because they can’t take the loss, and work with them to minimize human casualties,” according to his assertion.
He criticized opponents of his idea, saying, “Why is it acceptable for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end an existential threat war between them? Why was it acceptable for us to do so? I thought it was a good thing.”
Addressing the authorities in Israel, he added, “Do whatever you need to do to preserve a Jewish state.”
This is not the first time Graham has referenced Nagasaki and Hiroshima to defend supplying Israel with American weapons. On Friday, he said in a press conference, “We saved a million Americans from having to go and invade Japan.”
He had previously made a similar statement during a congressional hearing on Wednesday.
According to the US publication Business Insider, the United States provides Israel with approximately $3.8 billion in weapons and defense systems annually.
In April of last year, Congress approved a $15 billion military aid package for Israel, including about $5 billion for replenishing weapon stocks.
Despite escalating international warnings regarding the expansion of military operations in Rafah, the Israeli army called on Saturday for the immediate displacement of residents in neighborhoods in the heart of the city, in order to expand its operations that began last Monday in the eastern part of the city.
On May 5th, Israel closed the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing on the border with Gaza, while the Rafah crossing on the border between the Strip and Egypt remains closed for the seventh day after it was announced to be under its control on Tuesday morning.
The Biden administration has since suspended a shipment of around 3,500 bombs to Israel amid concerns about their potential use in Rafah, while President Biden faces growing backlash from Democrats in Congress for his support of Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Hamas warned on Saturday of the repercussions of the Israeli army’s control and closure of the Rafah crossing since last Tuesday, which “threatens a humanitarian disaster and exacerbates the famine situation throughout the besieged Gaza Strip.”
Since October 7th, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza that has resulted in over 113,000 casualties, including mostly children and women, with around 10,000 missing, amidst immense destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of children and the elderly.
Israel continues the war despite a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, as well as an International Court of Justice demand for immediate measures to prevent acts of “genocide” and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
