Some of Israel’s steadiest supporters in the US Congress have been moved by the images of abused children leaving Gaza, which has influenced some of its most fervent supporters.
Over the past few days, some Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticized Israel and the GHF food distribution system, which is supported by the US and Israel, and which has resulted in the deaths of more than 1, 000 Palestinian aid seekers.
However, others made flimsy declarations that didn’t directly blame Israeli actions for aid entering Gaza.
The extremist Israeli government is using widespread starvation to orchestrate the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, according to progressive Senator Bernie Sanders in a statement released late on Friday. “This is the reality: 200, 000 Palestinians have already been killed or wounded, mostly women and children.
He claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was running an “extermination” campaign in Gaza.
The anger threatens to undermine Israel’s long-standing bipartisan support for Congress, which authorizes the billions in military aid that Washington annually pays to its staunch US ally.
However, so far, it doesn’t seem like there was much pressure to actually punish the Israeli government for its forced mass hunger operation in Gaza.
The US House of Representatives approved $500 million in missile defense funding for Israel just last week with a majority vote.
This is unable to continue.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen criticized Netanyahu and US President Trump on Saturday for agusing Gaza’s humanitarian aid organizations with mercenaries, which would have increased the number of fatalities and destruction.
In a social media post, Van Hollen wrote, “Every day, the horrors in Gaza reach new, unimaginable depths.”
The Trump administration has been promoting Hamas’ falsely blaming Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while denouncing US support for the GHF operation, which the UN and human rights organizations have called a “death trap” and “human slaughterhouses.”
Van Hollen remarked, “This cannot continue.”
According to John Garamendi, a member of Congress, Israel’s “dangerous and wilful failure to enable humanitarian aid” in Gaza amounts to genocide.
Only a select few progressive congressmembers have charged Israel with committing a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
However, international experts and human rights organizations have come to the same conclusion about the Israeli military’s genocidal plot.
According to Garamendi, “Israel has the capacity and the means to provide adequate food to the Palestinians.” Prime Minister Netanyahu has the option to not feed Gaza, adding that they also have the obligation to deliver it under international law.
It must end. My response to Gaza’s hunger crisis. pic. twitter.com/QzeVD2wjCp
Numerous Israeli officials have publicly stated that they want to stop Gaza’s aid and force all Palestinians to leave, effectively encouraging ethic cleansing. Many people have suggested that the enclave is home to no innocent residents.
Amichai Eliyahu, the minister of Israeli heritage, made the apparent assertion earlier this week that his country is purposefully starving Gaza, claiming that “nation feeds its enemies.”
According to The Times of Israel, Eliyahu stated in a radio interview that “the government is racing ahead for Gaza to be completely eradicated.”
At least 127 Palestinians have died in the enclave from malnutrition, including five on Saturday, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
Wesley Bell, a leading critic of Israeli policies and the recipient of millions of dollars from pro-Israel groups, made a statement on Thursday opposing Israel’s actions.
“I’ve always backed and defended Israel’s right to exist. In a social media post, Bell claimed that this hasn’t changed.
I can’t stand by supporting this government’s actions, which include allowing children to starve and firing at civilians in search of food. This is not self-defense, though. It must end.
Summer Lee, a congresswoman, shot at aid seekers who were attempting to get food from GHF sites on Friday, claiming that Israel is preventing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“People are suffering from extreme starvation in the streets.” In a social media post, Lee remarked, “Horrors upon horrors.” The US must stop funding the genocide and famine that Israel produces.
statements that are ambiguous
Lee delivered the crisis with less force than the US lawmakers who addressed the issue.
Many people didn’t point the finger at Israel, while others began their mild critique of the US ally with Hamas’ customary condemnation.
UN agencies and aid organizations have been debating the claim that Hamas steals humanitarian aid, which Israeli military officials acknowledge they have no proof, but several congressmembers have since refuted it.
Congresswoman Grace Meng continued to make pro-Israel statements about the humanitarian situation while saying in a statement that “as a mother, my heart breaks to see children in Gaza starve.”
While Hamas continues to hold hostages, extort the aid system, and refuse ceasefire deals to stay in power and prolong the war, Meng said in a statement. “It is important to recognize that Israel has allowed the entry of over 1.8 million tons and over 96, 000 trucks into Gaza.
My full response to Gaza’s urgent need for peace and the humanitarian crisis. Twitter.com/dnNAR0DGc
Israel has allowed a small amount of aid to enter Gaza despite spending more than 22 months of the conflict, far below the population’s needs. Israel’s tightening of its blockade of the area has made the deadly GHF sites nearly the only food source for Palestinians since March.
Hamas also denies that ceasefire agreements are being rejected. Instead, the organization asserts that it is pursuing a permanent resolution of the conflict, while several Israeli officials have indicated that Israel will continue to conduct its military there despite a temporary truce.
In response to Israeli accusations that Hamas is preventing ceasefire negotiations and stealing the aid, Congressman Adam Smith called on Israel to take the “steps necessary to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
In a statement, Smith said, “I think we can both work immediately to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza and continue to support Israel in their efforts to defend themselves against Hamas, Iran, and other countries in the region who continue to attack and destroy Israel.”
Senator Cory Booker, who called for a “strategie to strengthen Israel’s security,” also made a 172-word statement about the Gaza hunger crisis that only once mentioned the word “Israel.”
According to Booker, “it is our collective moral duty to make sure humanitarian aid gets to those who need it most quickly.”
criticizing Trump
Some Democrats retaliated against Trump, their political rival, without denouncing Israel at the same time.
In a statement released late on Friday that focused on Trump without specifically criticizing Israel, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries set the tone for that strategy.
Palestinian children and civilians are still battling in a war zone, according to Jeffries. The Trump administration has the power to end this humanitarian crisis, according to the statement. They must now take action.
Statement regarding Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. pic. twitter.com/SFPn3f8H89
Rep. Tim Kennedy’s remarks on Trump’s failure to fulfill his commitment to ending the Gaza war were further underscored by Tim Kennedy.
His strategic and moral failure, according to Kennedy, has caused the world’s worsening conditions, with fresh reports and images of Palestinians being systematically starved, in a statement.
Trump’s Republican Party has largely remained silent about Gaza’s worsening hunger.
However, Congressman Randy Fine, a close ally of the US president, made an appearance to support Israel’s Gaza hunger campaign while also calling it “Muslim terror propaganda.”
Source: Aljazeera
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