US lawmakers call on Biden administration to end offensive weapons against Israel | News on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Twenty Democrats are calling for compliance with U.S. laws that ban arming countries that block humanitarian aid.

Washington, D.C. – Twenty Democratic lawmakers in the United States have called on President Joe Biden’s administration to stop the transfer of assault weapons to Israel, noting that the Israeli government has not responded to U.S. demands for more aid Enter Gaza.

In a letter to the Foreign Minister Antony Blinken On Tuesday, members of Congress called on Washington to stick with its own laws that limit military aid to countries that commit war crimes and block U.S.-backed humanitarian aid.

“We believe that the continued supply of offensive weapons to the Israeli government prolongs the suffering of the Palestinian people and endangers our own national security by sending a message to the world that the United States will selectively apply its laws, policies and international law,” the letter said.

It added that a failure to prolong Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war on Gaza would “isolate Israel on the international stage and lead to further instability in the region.”

The letter was led by Summer Lee and Greg Casar, who was recently elected chairman of next year’s Congressional Progressive Caucus, succeeding him Pramila Jayapal.

The push is unlikely to convince Biden and Blinken, who have repeatedly pledged their “ironclad” support to Israel, to change course. But it underscores ongoing progressive pressure on the U.S. government over its Middle East policy.

It also highlights Casar as a critic of Israel before becoming chairman of the influential Progressive Caucus.

Today I’m leading 20 members of Congress to demand that the Biden admin deny assault weapons to the Israeli military.

US law is clear: If the Netanyahu government does not allow sufficient food and medicine to enter Gaza, the US cannot send weapons. pic.twitter.com/NHhhZMuGt1

– Congressman Greg Casar (@RepCasar) December 17, 2024

The congressional statement focuses on the Biden administration Ultimatum to Israel in October, when U.S. officials warned Israel in a letter to allow humanitarian aid to flow to Gaza within 30 days or face consequences.

Although several humanitarian groups have said that Israel had not met the conditions set by Washington to improve the situation in Gaza, the Biden administration said after the deadline that it would continue to do so Provide weapons to Israel.

“While Israel made nominal progress in some areas, it largely failed to meet the minimum standards outlined in the administration’s letter itself,” the lawmakers wrote.

For example, U.S. officials requested permission to send 350 aid trucks to the besieged Palestinian territory. However, during the 30-day period, an average of 42 trucks were allowed into Gaza daily.

In fact, humanitarian groups – including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Refugees International and Save the Children – accused Israel of “taking measures that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in the northern Gaza Strip,” following the US warning.

“Israel has failed to meet the demands of its ally – at enormous human cost to Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” the groups said in a joint statement last month.

A crushing Israeli blockade has brought deadly hunger to Gaza. The war that has destroyed large parts of Gaza has killed more than 45,000 peopleaccording to local health authorities.

United Nations experts and several Rights groups have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza – an attempt to partially or completely destroy the Palestinian people.

The International Criminal Court issued last month Arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war.

But the US has continued to provide unwavering support to its ally. A recent study from Brown University appreciated that the Biden administration provided Israel with $17.9 billion to help finance the first year of the war on Gaza.

Tuesday’s congressional letter coincided with that Filing a lawsuit by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the United States with the aim of forcing Washington to end military support for Israeli army units that commit human rights abuses.