Global Courant 2023-04-17 13:26:35
Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to respond to the “far-right Israeli government” and the recent “shocking violence” that has taken place between Israeli troops and residents of the West Bank.
Representatives Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Jamaal Bowman of New York and “Squad” Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Cori Bush of Missouri, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, all signed a letter week addressed to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, saying they were “deeply concerned” and demanding action.
In the letter, 14 Democrats urged Biden to “ensure that U.S. taxpayer money does not support projects in illegal settlements” and to determine whether aid sent to Israel is used to commit “gross violations of the law.” human rights acts committed or supported by the Israeli government”.
“Furthermore, we call on your government to ensure that all future foreign aid to Israel, including arms and equipment, is not used in support of gross human rights violations.”
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U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, Ayanna Pressley, D-MA, Ilhan Omar, D-MN, Rashida Tlaib, D-MI and others urged the Biden administration to address the recent violence in Israel to take. (Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)
Bowman shared the letter on social media, saying he wanted to draw attention to the “alarming actions of the new far-right Israeli government”. He also suggested that the US should stop funding Israel as taxpayers’ money should be “used to violate human rights”.
Rep. Betty McCollum shared the letter, which she also signed, criticizing “Israel’s extremist government.”
“My colleagues and I are concerned about the extremist government of Israel and the escalation of attacks against Palestinian families. No $1 in US military aid should be used to violate the human rights and freedoms of Palestinians or to annex their land,” she wrote. McCollum Saturday on social media.
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In the letter, Democratic lawmakers said the government of newly elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “includes far-right, anti-Palestinian individuals and parties.”
“We urge immediate action to prevent further loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives,” they wrote. “At this turning point, we ask your administration to implement a shift in US policy in recognition of rising violence, further annexation of land and denial of Palestinian rights.
Palestinians take cover during clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on January 26, 2023. (ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Fire and smoke rise over buildings in Gaza City as Israel launched airstrikes against the Palestinian enclave on January 27, 2023. (MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The lawmakers added: “Only by protecting democracy, human rights and self-determination for all Palestinians and Israelis can we achieve lasting peace.”
Representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat from New York, also urges the Biden administration to take action. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Democrats pointed to a series of acts of violence by both Palestinians and Israeli forces in February, including the death of Israeli-American citizen Elan Ganeles, who was shot dead by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank.
“This Israeli government’s anti-democratic mission to dismantle the rule of law poses a threat to both Israelis and Palestinians,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are deeply concerned about (the) actions of the Israeli government that show that the illegal de facto and de jure annexation of the occupied West Bank is well underway.”
More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers, including Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota, are asking President Biden to investigate whether U.S. taxpayer money is being used to violate human rights in Israel and the West Bank. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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And: “The actions of the Israeli government are in clear violation of international law and commitments to the US; its agenda will further devastate Palestinian communities and increase tensions with violent consequences for both Palestinians and Israelis. Only clear steps to Changing political conditions will be the road to peace.”
The letter was also signed by Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, Jesús García of Illinois, Delia Ramirez of Illinois, and André Carson of Indiana.
