A group of House Democrats has indicated they are considering cutting military aid to Israel over accusations that President Biden is restricting aid to Gaza, but U.S. allies in the Middle East are is denied.
Six members of Congress, led by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), called the situation in Gaza a “humanitarian catastrophe” in a letter to Biden over the weekend.
They called on Israel to “make it clear” that it was violating a long-standing U.S. law blocking foreign aid to countries that prevents the U.S. from receiving humanitarian aid elsewhere.
UN finally admits Israeli woman was raped, sexually assaulted by Hamas terrorists
Progressives are calling on President Biden to take a firmer stance on Israel. (AP/Evan Vucci)
“In the months since Hamas’s horrific Oct. 7 attack, which you and the U.S. Congress have rightly condemned, you have urged the Israeli government to wisely uphold its right to self-defense while prioritizing the protection of innocent lives. Instead, the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has imposed heavy burdens on monitoring aid, severely restricting entry points for aid, and denying access to food, medicine and other supplies. restricting the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza by arbitrarily preventing people from entering Gaza,” the letter said.
“Given the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, we urge the implementation of the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Law…and, as required by that law, Israel restricting the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Please make clear to the Israeli government that the continued provision of U.S. security assistance to Gaza and Israel violates existing U.S. law and must be restricted. ”
Prime Minister Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah regardless of possible ceasefire with Hamas: ‘It will happen’
Congressman Joaquin Castro led the latest letter asking Biden to limit aid to Israel. (Getty Images)
The Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act prohibits U.S. foreign aid from going to countries whose governments limit or block U.S. humanitarian aid.
“Dialogue between allies is an important part of diplomacy, but addressing a humanitarian crisis of the scale of Gaza and protecting the hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians seeking refuge in combat zones requires more than words alone. Enough is no longer enough,” the Democrat wrote. “We urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to act in accordance with the law and demonstrate that U.S. assistance has clear limits and does not include conditions that would enable conditions that would cause famine in Gaza.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters condemn AOC outside movie theater, demand Israeli-Hamas war called ‘genocide’
The debate over the US role in Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas is dividing the Democratic Party. Biden has faced mounting backlash from progressives for not doing enough to curb Israeli retaliation, but more moderate Democrats continue to support the Middle Eastern nation.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, announced over the weekend that Israel would no longer allow food shipments into northern Gaza. UNRWA itself has come under intense scrutiny over allegations that its staff and associates were involved in the brutal Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for a response to the letter.
