More US arms transfers for Israel after killing of US aid worker | Palestine Policy Roundup 4.5.2024
Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.
ICYMI: IMEU POLICY PROJECT LAUNCHES W/ RECS FOR CONGRESS ON GAZA
Yesterday, we launched the IMEU Policy Project, the 501(c)(4) affiliate of the Institute for Middle East Understanding. Check out our first policy memo, which provides recommendations for Congress as we approach the six-month mark of Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.
ICYMI: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “The U.S. cannot beg Netanyahu to stop bombing civilians one day and the next send him thousands more 2,000 lb. bombs that can level entire city blocks. This is obscene. We must end our complicity: No more bombs to Israel.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley: “On this Easter, let’s ponder Netanyahu’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, which has killed more than 20,000 women and children, and his restriction of humanitarian aid, which has pushed Palestinians to the brink of famine.”
Rep. Cori Bush: “Seven aid workers with WCKitchen were targeted and killed by Israeli forces. World Central Kitchen had been providing food as 1M+ Palestinian civilians face starvation. This latest war crime forced the charity to suspend delivery. Starvation is a weapon of war.”
In response to Rep. Tim Walberg’s suggestion at a town hall in Michigan that Israel drop nuclear weapons on Gaza, Rep. Delia Ramirez stated, “Congress – including Rep. Walberg – has censured people calling for peace, yet it’s apparently acceptable to call for the mass murder of Palestinians and destruction of nuclear proportions! Walberg’s comments are unacceptable and extremely dangerous. Our words have power and should be used to take us closer to solutions that prioritize peace and safety for both Israelis and Palestinians. Rep. Walberg should be ashamed.”
DC DEVELOPMENTS
BIDEN’S CALL FOR IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE MUST BE BACKED BY ACTION
Yesterday in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Biden for the first time called for an “immediate ceasefire” and stated that US policy toward Israel “will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action” in response to US demands that it do more to protect civilians and aid workers.
While this is a welcome development, it is not sufficient and must be matched by action. First and foremost, that means halting the transfer of weapons to Israel, which are being used in blatant violation of US law. Read the IMEU Policy Project’s response to President Biden’s call.
BOMBS, BOMBS, AND MORE BOMBS; BIDEN ADMIN’S LATEST “DELIBERATE DODGE OF TRANSPARENCY”
This week, the Biden administration approved the transfer of 1,000 500-pound bombs and over 1,000 small-diameter bombs to Israel. The authorization occurred on the same day Israeli strikes in Gaza killed seven aid workers from the charity group World Central Kitchen, and after more than 190 aid workers in Palestine had already been killed by the Israeli military since October 7, according to CNN.
Last week, the US also authorized the transfer of nearly 2,000 2,000-pound MK84 bombs, which can and have destroyed entire blocks of Palestinian neighborhoods. These exact US-made bombs also have been linked to Israel’s attacks on Palestinian refugee camps. Last week’s transfers were approved in 2012 and 2015; however the transfer still could have been paused by the State Department.
In addition to these tax-payer funded arms transfers, the Biden administration is also about to notify Congress of an $18 billion sale of as many as 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel. This news comes after the announcement of another expected sale of precision-guided munition kits, which would be used to convert US-made dumb bombs into smart bombs.
Key Takeaway: Ari Tolany, Director of Security Assistance, Arms Trade and Technology at the Center for International Policy, said the moves amount to a “deliberate dodge of transparency” by the administration. She added, “When they are publicly saying that Israel needs to take more steps to protect civilians but privately pushing through hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weapons, there’s really no credibility.” The Biden administration refuses to use the most significant source of leverage it has, she said, which is “the massive amount of arms provided to Israel.”
Key Takeaway: Amnesty International USA demanded that President Biden and Congress immediately suspend all transfers of weapons to the government of Israel.
POLICY ASK: Introduce or cosponsor a joint resolution of disapproval to stop the $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets after it is notified.
MCCOLLUM, POCAN, AND OTHERS CALL FOR ENFORCEMENT OF SECTION 620I
Last week, Reps. McCollum, Pocan, and four other Members of Congress urged President Biden to enforce the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act – Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.
KEY TAKEAWAY: In their letter, the Members of Congress stated, “Immediate action from the United States is necessary to stop further loss of civilian life, and we urge you to use every tool at your disposal to end the suffering in this crisis and to keep this conflict from expanding.”
POLICY ASK: Join the growing number of Members of Congress who are urging President Biden to enforce Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.
SENATORS CALL ON BIDEN TO PROVIDE DESPERATELY NEEDED MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO GAZA
Sens. Warren, Merkley, Majority Whip Durbin, Van Hollen, and Welch demanded President Biden provide medical supplies to Gaza, as the Israeli military has destroyed a majority of Gaza’s hospitals and blocked aid trucks supplying medicine from entering. Previously, in February, the Senators asked the president to mobilize “Operation Gaza Relief” in order to allow basic necessities, including food and water, to enter Gaza. Two weeks ago, an estimated 7,000 food trucks were waiting at the Rafah crossing–blocked by the Israeli government– according to Egypt’s North Sinai Governor.
IN THE NEWS
ACTIVE-DUTY AIR FORCE SENIOR AIRMAN BEGINS HUNGER STRIKE
Active-duty Air Force Senior Airman Larry Hebert took authorized leave from his assignment to participate in demonstrations demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to visit Congressional offices to press for stopping weapons shipments to Israel. He was moved by Aaron Bushnell taking his own life at the Israeli embassy, and decided to voice his opposition “to the U.S. government supplying Israel the bombs and rockets to commit genocide in Gaza.”
POLL: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS DISAPPROVE OF ISRAEL’S ASSAULT ON GAZA
In less than 6 months, Israel has killed over 32,400 Palestinians, 40% of whom were children. A new Gallup poll shows that 55% of Americans disapprove of Israel’s assault on Gaza, up from 45% in November. According to another recent poll, at least 67% of Americans want the US to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
RANK-AND-FILE UNION MEMBERS BACK CAMPAIGN TO DITCH BIDEN OVER GAZA
Many, if not most, of the union movement’s rank and file members oppose Israel’s war on Gaza while their leadership has been slower to call for a ceasefire. Many union members have organized in Wisconsin’s uninstructed campaign and similar campaigns in several states that have held Democratic primaries.
📊 1 IN 5 WISCONSIN DEMOCRATS SAID GAZA WAR IMPACTED THEIR PRIMARY VOTE
More than 1 in 5 Wisconsin Democrats said that Israel’s war in Gaza impacted their vote in the state’s primary on Tuesday, while 71 percent said they strongly support an immediate and permanent ceasefire, according to a new poll released on Monday.
KEY TAKEAWAY: In Wisconsin’s presidential primary on Tuesday, the Uninstructed delegation took 48,093 votes, more than double the 20,682 vote margin by which President Biden won the state in 2020, sending a warning sign for his reelection chances in the battleground state. Reema Ahmad, a Palestinian and Muslim American organizer with Listen to Wisconsin said, “This is a serious threat to Biden’s chances in Wisconsin.”
DEMOCRATS FEAR ISRAEL’S ATTACK ON GAZA COULD COST THEM IN NOVEMBER
Democrats are fearful that President Biden’s support for Israel’s genocidal acts in Gaza is going to be a major political liability for the president and Democratic candidates down the ballot. One House Democrat told The Hill, “The sooner Biden can break from [Netanyahu] in a major way, then the better off he will be politically. It’s not just the progressives who are angry about the U.S. support of the Gaza operation — it’s now broader than that.”
❌ WHICH COMPANIES PROFIT OFF ISRAEL’S WAR ON GAZA?
Amidst Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, companies involved in the arms trade are witnessing surging profits, while civilians endure devastating consequences. The US government’s arms transfers to Israel, totaling over 10,000 tons of weapons delivered via 244 cargo planes and 20 ships, and not including undisclosed inventory transfers from US military stockpiles stored in Israel, raise concerns about accountability and transparency as calls for an arms embargo intensify. The Biden administration’s proposed increase in weapons to Israel further fuels the debate on US complicity in the plausible genocide. A deep dive into each company’s involvement with supplying Israel with weapons spotlights the modern military-industrial complex, which now spans a wide range of industries.
PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS
TWO WEEKS OF ISRAELI SIEGE; 450+ KILLED IN AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL MASSACRE
Israel destroyed Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, after a 14-day siege of starving patients, including children, leaving hundreds of bodies strewn across the complex.
Journalist Hossam Shabat reports, “I have been working nonstop for the past 6 months covering what’s happening in Gaza, but what I saw today while visiting Al-Shifa hospital was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before: Israeli occupation forces executed 300 Palestinians in and around the hospital, and this morning, I witnessed hundreds of bodies outside the hospital. There wasn’t one full body. All the bodies were either pieces or heavily mutilated. The bodies were in horrific conditions; many had their hands and legs tied behind their backs and were flattened by a bulldozer. Many of the bodies were burned and left to be crushed to pieces. Several bodies were decomposed and partly eaten by stray dogs. Most of the bodies were unrecognizable; families could only identify them by their clothes.”
📺 VIDEO: Two displaced Palestinian children recount the horrors through which they lived during the two-week Israeli siege of al-Shifa Hospital.
BIDEN NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION FOR 7 WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN EMPLOYEES KILLED BY ISRAEL
Chef and founder of the World Central Kitchen, Jose Andrés, said that Israel deliberately killed seven of his aid workers after they notified the Israeli military of their location and used a road in a “deconflicted zone” controlled by Israel. Andrés said that Israel targeted the aid workers “systematically, car by car” in three separate missile attacks, even after the aid workers moved to another vehicle to take cover.
📸 PHOTO: See photos from the attack by the Washington Post.
ANDRÉS RESPONDS: After the news of the killing of his aid workers, Chef Jose Andrés shared on social media, “The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now.”
WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS: White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby urged journalists during a press conference to let Israel conduct its own investigation and “see what they find.” However, Israel has a long history of failing to hold itself accountable – the US must do so.
KEY TAKEAWAY: This deliberate attack by Israel against a US-registered aid organization and the killing of a US aid worker is yet another reason President Biden needs to halt the transfer of weapons under Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.
Photo credit: Moody Man/Flickr. Creative Commons license.