White House staffers call out Biden administration over FAILURE to make Israel accountable for worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza
By bellecarter // 2024-11-29
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Around 20 White House staffers called out the administration of President Joe Biden for failing to enforce the demands issued by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to alleviate the worsening situation in Gaza. The order was issued on Oct. 13, which required Israel to take "concrete measures" within 30 days to improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The deadline came and went, with aid groups saying the situation in Gaza worsened during the month, particularly in northern Gaza where Israeli forces have launched a sweeping campaign that has killed hundreds of civilians and cut off aid deliveries. "You are running out of time to do the right thing, but decisive action could save precious lives in the next two months," the staffers, who work across the president's executive office and aren't directly involved in Middle East policy, said in the letter. One senior White House staffer explained why they sent it: "One thing that drew me into this was legacy. If the course is continued, it will be a legacy of horror." The staffers also argued that the United States' continued support for Israeli military operations violates multiple federal statutes, including the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, the Foreign Assistance Act and the Leahy Laws. Back in April, 185 lawyers from around the world sent a letter to top White House officials arguing that sending weapons to Israel in the context of the ongoing war is illegal. Other senior U.S. officials challenged Blinken in an internal memo on whether Israel is using U.S.-supplied weapons under the law. An open letter in July signed by more than 500 appointees and staffers condemned the deep humanitarian impact of U.S. policy while funding the war in Gaza. Nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war in retaliation for the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

U.S. Senate rejects effort to block arms sales to Israel

Back in September, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced joint resolutions of disapproval seeking to block the Biden administration's recent sale of $20 billion in U.S. weapons to Israel. However, the U.S. Senate blocked the legislation on Nov. 20, garnering only about 20 votes out of the chamber's 100 members, with most Democrats joining all Republicans against the measures. "Netanyahu's extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas – it has waged war against Palestinians," Sanders said at a press conference held on Nov. 19 ahead of the vote. "Much of what's been happening there has been done with U.S. weapons and American taxpayer support." He added that the U.S. has provided more than $18 billion in military aid to Israel and delivered more than 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment. "The United States of America is complicit in these atrocities. This complicity must end," the independent lawmaker argued. Under U.S. law, military assistance must not be given to foreign security forces that have committed human rights violations. However, Biden refused to stop the transfer of weapons to Israel, despite persistent accusations of war crimes from human rights experts. (Related: Poll: Majority of Americans want to halt U.S. arms shipments to Israel.) Moreover, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) lambasted the present regime for not taking action against Israel for failing to meet its deadline for aid to Gaza. "The failure by the Biden administration to follow U.S. law and to suspend arms shipments is a grave mistake that undermines American credibility worldwide," Warren said in a statement. "If this administration will not act, Congress must step up to enforce U.S. law and hold the Netanyahu government accountable through a joint resolution of disapproval." WhiteHouse.news contains related stories. Watch the video below that talks about the Senate's move to block Sanders' joint resolutions aiming to halt arms sales to Israel. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Biden administration approves $2.2 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Barclays sells $3.4m worth of shares in Israeli weapons manufacturer following pro-Palestinian allegations of bank's involvement in genocide. White House approves new $20 billion arms sales to Israel.

Sources include:

X.com Politico.com Brighteon.com
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