Graham says he trusts Israel more than Pentagon chief

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he trusts Israel more than Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as the Biden administration warns it will stop sending weapons to Israel if it invades Rafah.

“Number one, I trust Israel more than I trust Austin. He still said [the] Afghanistan withdrawal was a good idea,” Graham said at a press conference Thursday. “Bottom line, there’s a lot at stake here.”

Graham, speaking about his years-long negotiation efforts between Saudi Arabia and Israel, said President Biden’s threat to withhold weapons from Israel could ruin potential stability in the Middle East.

“I think the region and the world is going to second guess future relationships with us, Mr. President, if you don’t change your mind,” he said in remarks highlighted by Mediaite.

It’s not the first time Graham criticized Lloyd and the Biden administration’s Israel tactics. In December, he labeled Austin as “naïve” for saying Israel risks “strategic defeat” if it does not protect civilians in Gaza, adding that he had lost faith in the Pentagon secretary.

The senator’s latest message follows a declaration from Biden warning the Israel Defense Forces that if it proceeds with an invasion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of people are taking refuge, he would stop supplying offensive weapons like bombs and artillery shells.

Biden said Wednesday that civilians have been killed in Gaza “as a consequence of those bombs” and he has “made it clear” that if Israel goes into Rafah, the U.S. will not supply the weapons.

Graham on Thursday also highlighted his efforts negotiating an “end the Arab Israeli conflict” and isolating Iran while finding “a better, hopeful future for the Palestinians.”

“Mr. President, if you do not change this policy, you will have destroyed the last best chance to deliver lasting stability in the Mideast for generations,” Graham warned. “Saudi Arabia is watching.”