President Joe Biden's decision to halt weapons shipments to Israel if it moves ahead with a military operation in the Gaza city of Rafah has not gone over well with a Democrat mega doner who held a $4.5 million fundraiser in February for Biden's reelection campaign.
Israeli American billionaire Haim Saban, the chair of Univision and CEO of Saban Capital Group, wrote in an email to Biden administration aides Steve Ricchetti and Anita Dunn that Biden's decision to halt the weapons shipment was "bad, bad, bad" on all levels and asked them to urge the president to reconsider.
The decision "to stop sending munitions to Israel" as it fights Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip sends "a terrible message to our allies in the region," wrote Saban in the email, a copy of which was circulated on social media.
"WE, the US, as you stated numerous times, believe that Hamas should be defeated," Saban wrote. "WE, the US, in this case, YOU Mr. President, have decided to stop sending munitions to Israel to achieve the goal that WE/YOU have set up for Israel and ourselves."
Saban indicated that Biden was flipping from doing the "right thing" to "bending to political pressure." Biden has faced significant blowback from the Muslim community for his support of Israel's military operation in Gaza following Hamas' terrorist attack Oct. 7, especially in battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Plus, anti-Israel protests on college campuses across the nation are calling, among other things, for Biden to push for a cease-fire in the war.
"Let's not forget there are more Jewish voters who care about Israel than Muslim voters who care about Hamas," Saban wrote. "Bad, bad, bad decision on all levels. Pls reconsider."
Saban's fundraiser for Biden in Los Angeles in February, ahead of California's Democrat presidential primary in March, reportedly raised $4.5 million.
He told The Wrap in a February interview that his staunch support had Biden "paying a political price," but that without Biden's support, "Israel would be fighting this war with stones and sticks."
Newsmax reached out to the White House and Biden's campaign for comment.