A group of Republican senators on Wednesday demanded President Joe Biden stop considering accepting Palestinian refugees.
“Your administration’s reported plan to accept Gazan refugees poses a national security risk to the United States,” the senators. “With more than a third of Gazans supporting the Hamas militants, we are not confident that your administration can adequately vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States.”
Egypt has opposed accepting Palestinian refugees, arguing they would ultimately remain there due to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resistance to a two-state solution. The senators expressed worry Palestinians would “swarm” the Egypt-Gaza border to depart for the U.S.