War hawk senator threatens US with divine retribution
The Republican senator made the remarks at the 58th annual Silver Elephant Gala, a major party fundraiser held in South Carolina over the weekend. Graham shared his speech on social media on Wednesday, in which he showered praise on Israel for purportedly abstaining from committing 'genocide' in Gaza.
'Israel is our friend. They are the most reliable friend we have in the Middle East. They are a democracy, surrounded by people who would cut their throats if they could,' Graham claimed. He added that weakening support to Israel would result in divine punishment for the US.
If America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us.
The remarks come shortly after Israel announced a plan to occupy Gaza City, one of the few areas of the Palestinian enclave that the Israeli military does not control.
The scheme, touted by Israel as a roadmap to 'concluding the war' with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been dragging on for nearly two years, has received an overwhelmingly negative reaction in the West. The occupation plan has been condemned by multiple international organizations and countries, although the US has effectively provided no reaction to the announcement. Shortly before the plan was unveiled, US President Donald Trump said it was 'pretty much up to Israel' whether to fully occupy the enclave.
Graham, a strong longtime backer of Israel, had previously called for a full occupation of Gaza, insisting that there was no other resolution to the hostilities to satisfy West Jerusalem.
'They're going to do in Gaza what we did in Tokyo and Berlin: take the place by force and start over again,' Graham said in late July, suggesting that Washington, a mediator in the stalled Israel-Hamas peace process, actually believed that there was no way 'to negotiate an end of this war' either.
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