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- Sen. Lindsey Graham hailed the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima as an example of why Israel needs more munitions.
- Graham has been arguing against Biden’s pausing of weapons to Israel.
- He said the atomic bombings in Japan helped end WWII, arguing that Israel also needs firepower.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Sunday urged the US to keep supplying munitions to Israel, comparing the war in Gaza with World War II and saying dropping atomic bombs on Japan was the “right decision” to ending the conflict.
Speaking to NBC’s Kristen Welker, Graham drew the comparison to say that Israel was facing an “existential threat” against enemies like Hamas and needed more firepower to resolve the war.
In his view, the US also faced an existential threat from Japan and Germany in the 1940s.
“So when we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear weapons,” Graham said.
“That was the right decision,” he continued. “Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war. They can’t afford to lose, and work with them to minimize casualties.”
The senator’s comments come as President Joe Biden threatened to cut off the US supply of bombs and artillery shells to Israeli leaders if they invaded Rafah without a concrete plan to protect civilians. The city is Gaza’s southernmost urban center, and has recently filled with over a million Palestinians fleeing the violence.
Biden’s threat was blasted by Republicans in Congress — including Graham, who repeatedly referred to the atomic bombings in his interview.
“Why is it OK for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war?” Graham told Welker. “Why was it OK for us to do that? I thought it was OK.”
“To Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state,” he added.
Welker challenged Graham by saying that military officials attest to weapons technology now being more precise and able to reduce civilian casualties.
The senator dismissed Welker’s remark. “Yeah, these military officials that you’re talking about are full of crap,” Graham said.
It’s not the first time Graham has referenced Nagasaki and Hiroshima to advocate for the flow of munitions to Tel Aviv.
“We saved a million Americans from having to go and invade Japan,” Graham said during a press conference on Friday responding to Biden’s weapons supply threat. “So, no. Israel’s tactics are not my problem.”
He made a similar comment during a congressional hearing on Wednesday.
Israel began launching incursions into Rafah earlier this month, despite the White House’s warning.
The Biden administration has since paused a shipment of about 3,500 bombs to Israel amid concerns that the weapons could be used in Rafah, and as the president faces growing backlash among Democrats in Congress for his support of Tel Aviv.
The US gives Israel an estimated $3.8 billion in weapons and defense systems a year. Congress voted through a $15 billion military aid package for Israel in April, which includes about $5 billion to replenish weapons stocks.
A representative for Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
