(Daily360.com) – Several Democratic senators signed a letter to Joe Biden urging that he stop sending arms to Israel for their war with Hamas. The letter centers on the senators’ wanting to send aid to the Gaza region that Hamas occupies, free of any restrictions. The letter was authored by Bernie Sanders (VT-I) and signed by an additional seven senators and makes a loose allegation of law-breaking by Biden.
They allege that Biden is out of step with the Foreign Assistance Aid Act. The Act does not allow the sending of American support to any warring nation that is restricting humanitarian aid to any other nation. Their position is that since Israel is barring aid to Palestinians in Gaza then the US cannot aid Israel. Sanders’ letter attempts to draw a distinction between forms of Israeli funding. He says aid for Israeli defensive measures, like for their Iron Dome, are permissible. But Sanders is against any effort by Israel that targets the whole of the Palestinian people residing there.
Sanders is siding with United Nations reports that indicate Israel has been preventing humanitarian groups from entering Gaza to offer aid to its residents. Biden recently authorized another airdrop of just under 40,000 ready-to-eat meals to be dropped via aircraft into the Gaza region. Biden has not yet called Netanyahu out specifically for interrupting with the aid flow but has backed other criticism of the Israeli prime minister.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer directly criticized and condemned Netanyahu on March 14th from the Senate floor. He said he’s been a “lifelong supporter of Israel” but can no longer blindly support the current administration. Schumer took the surprising position of recommending a leadership change via a “new election” sooner than later. He criticized the Israeli government, called Netanyahu “an obstacle to peace” and sided with those wanting more support for Palestinians in the region. Israeli officials condemned Schumer’s remarks, including Israeli ambassador, Michael Herzog, who called them “counterproductive to our common goals.” Biden was asked about Schumer’s remarks on March 15th and responded by saying he gave “a good speech.”
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