A coalition of a dozen liberal organizations and unions sent a letter to the White House on Thursday evening calling on President Biden to halt military aid to Israel until his administration lifts restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The group includes not only progressive groups like MoveOn and the Working Families Party, but also the mainstream Democratic Center for American Progress and NextGen America, the organization founded and funded by Tom Steyer, a billionaire who ran in the state’s primary election Democrats ran for president in 2020. Other signatories to the letter include the Service Employees International Union and the National Education Association, unions that make up key elements of the Democratic Party.
The letter calls on Mr. Biden to enforce the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits military support to countries that restrict the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“This will send a clear message that the Netanyahu government is not above the law and that the United States will not stand idly by while the war kills innocent Palestinians and further escalates throughout the region,” the letter said refers to the Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu. “U.S. law is clear: Countries that obstruct U.S. humanitarian assistance cannot receive U.S. military assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act or the Arms Export Control Act.”
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, the president of NextGen America, which focuses on increasing voter turnout among young people, said there was a growing risk that Mr Biden would lose the support of a key part of the Democratic coalition if there is no significant vote in the US Change gives attitude to the war in Gaza.
“We are concerned about the humanitarian and moral impact and the political survival of the government,” said Ms. Tzintzún Ramirez. “We’ve seen a wave of young people saying they care about foreign policy and this issue in a way that we haven’t seen in the past.”
Last week, Mr. Biden told Mr. Netanyahu that the United States could withhold support for Israel if it does not do more to protect civilians and ensure adequate supplies for Gaza. And since then, the president has reiterated that providing more aid to Gaza is a priority.
“You have to do more,” Mr. Biden said of the Israeli government and Mr. Netanyahu during a news conference on Wednesday. “There needs to be further opening in the north. So we’ll see what he does to fulfill the commitments he made to me.”
The White House and the Biden campaign declined to comment on the letter.
The letter adds to the growing pressure Mr Biden is facing from across the Democratic Party as Israel’s war in Gaza enters its seventh month. More than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities. About 1,200 people were killed in Israel when Hamas militants launched an attack on October 7 that sparked the conflict.
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2024-04-12 09:05:07
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