US lawmakers urge Biden administration to halt offensive weapons to Israel
Al Jazeera
Twenty Democrats call for upholding US laws that prohibit arming countries that block humanitarian assistance.
Washington, DC – Twenty Democratic legislators in the United States have urged the administration of President Joe Biden to halt the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel, noting that the Israeli government has not complied with US demands for more aid to enter Gaza.
In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, the Congress members called on Washington to uphold its own laws that restrict military aid to countries that commit war crimes and block US-backed humanitarian assistance.
“We believe continuing to transfer offensive weapons to the Israeli government prolongs the suffering of the Palestinian people and risks our own national security by sending a message to the world that the US will apply its laws, policies, and international law selectively,” the letter said.
It added that failure to act would prolong Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war on Gaza, “isolating Israel on the international stage and creating further instability in the region”.
The letter was led by Summer Lee and Greg Casar, who was recently elected to lead the Congressional Progressive Caucus next year, succeeding Pramila Jayapal.
