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As the Israeli government has failed to meet US demands for greater access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, a group of 20 Democratic lawmakers has called on President Joe Biden’s administration to stop the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel.
The lawmakers emphasized in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday the necessity for the United States to uphold its laws, which prohibit military assistance to countries engaging in war crimes or impeding humanitarian efforts backed by the United States.
“By sending a message to the world that the US will apply its laws, policies, and international law selectively, we believe that continuing to transfer offensive weapons to the Israeli government prolongs the suffering of the Palestinian people and puts our national security at risk,” the letter said.
The lawmakers cautioned that inaction would worsen the military campaign in Gaza by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “isolating Israel on the international stage and creating further instability in the region.”
The appeal highlights continued progressive efforts to pressure the Biden administration to change its Middle East policy. It was spearheaded by Representatives Summer Lee and Greg Casar, who will chair the Congressional Progressive Caucus next year.
The letter draws attention to internal dissension and growing criticism of US foreign policy, but it is unlikely to alter the administration’s position given its unwavering “ironclad” support for Israel.
In addition, the letter cited a warning that US officials had given Israel in October that allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza was a prerequisite for the continuation of military assistance.
However, despite Israel falling short of the stated conditions, including allowing a daily average of just 42 aid trucks into Gaza instead of the required 350, the Biden administration continued supplying arms to its ally.
“While Israel made nominal progress in some areas, it overwhelmingly failed to meet the minimum standards laid out in the Administration’s own letter,” the lawmakers wrote, pointing to actions that worsened conditions in Gaza, particularly in the north.
Humanitarian organizations such as Save the Children, Oxfam, and the Norwegian Refugee Council accused Israel of escalating the crisis. “Israel has failed to comply with its ally’s demands – at enormous human cost for Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” the groups said in a joint statement.
The war, compounded by a severe Israeli blockade, has devastated Gaza, with health officials reporting more than 45,000 fatalities.
United Nations experts and human rights organizations have accused Israel of committing genocide, citing efforts to destroy the Palestinian population.
The International Criminal Court recently issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes, including the use of starvation as a weapon.
Despite this, US support for Israel has remained firm. A study by Brown University estimated that the Biden administration provided $17.9 billion in aid to Israel during the first year of the conflict.
On the same day the congressional letter was issued, Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and the US filed a lawsuit aimed at forcing the Biden administration to end military support for Israeli forces involved in human rights violations.
