'Nervous' Democrats press Biden on Gaza ahead of State of Union: NYT
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More than a dozen Jewish Democrats in the House sponsored a scathing letter late last month, urging Biden to "redouble" his efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.
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US President Joe Biden arrives to board Air Force One on March 5, 2024 (AP)
The Israeli war on Gaza, along with its massive death toll, is driving Democratic members to be more outspoken against the Israeli Prime Minister's right-wing government and more forthright in their calls for a long-term solution, in addition to a Palestinian state, The New York Times reported.
On Tuesday night, Biden faced yet another embarrassment when "uncommitted" received roughly 46,000 votes — 19% of the total — in the Minnesota primary, amid a campaign by Democrats opposing his policy in Gaza.
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a prominent Jewish Democrat, expressed hope on Wednesday that "a strategy for peace and an end to his nightmare will be laid out at the State of the Union."
According to Raskin, American Democrats do not take orders from right-wing politicians in the US and should not be doing so from another country.
Biden has been facing backlash in his own party for supporting "Israel's" genocide in Gaza, and in a recent interview in The New Yorker, Biden seemed to be oblivious to his surroundings as he tells the world that he believes "Israel" has to "give this just a little bit of time" exactly as the death toll in Gaza stands at 30,800 lives taken by the US-funded brutal genocide in Gaza.
More than a dozen Jewish Democrats in the House sponsored a scathing letter late last month, urging Biden to "redouble" his efforts to establish a ceasefire that would allow greater aid to reach starving Gazans.
Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, rushed to the Senate floor to publicly criticize far-right Israeli cabinet members Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for obstructing aid. Van Hollen underlined that federal law dictates any military aid must be withdrawn from a government that blocks US humanitarian aid. On Wednesday, he repeated his demand for an explanation from the State Department as to why the legislation has not yet been implemented.
Representative Jim McGovern, a veteran lawmaker from Massachusetts, demanded Biden "use his leverage" to ensure a ceasefire and the entry of aid.
He asserted that Biden should call the situation in Gaza "unacceptable" and vow to do something about the dire humanitarian crisis.
Read more: US airdrops: Normal in 'hostile' env., not in areas occupied by allies
Even "Israel" critics like New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are facing hecklers who want them to adopt harder positions against the occupation.
The State Department is seeking additional avenues of entry to provide considerably more humanitarian relief to the starving people of Gaza, and department officials have singled out "ministers of the Israeli government" for preventing the delivery of flour and backing protests that have halted the supply of food supplies.
And this weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris was more explicit in her appeal for an "immediate ceasefire" during Ramadan this month.
At an event in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, Harris said that "too many innocent Palestinians have been killed" and that the people of Gaza are enduring a "humanitarian catastrophe."
In the upcoming State of the Union address, Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana invited Mia Schem, a freed Israeli captive from October 7, while Representative Cori Bush, Democrat of Missouri and a frequent critic of the occupation, will bring Intimaa Salama, a Palestinian dentist and graduate student from St. Louis University.
Announcing Salama, Bush reported that “thirty-five of Dr. Salama’s family members have been killed in the last over 150 days,” calling it an "incalculable loss".
Democrats want candidate against financial aid to 'Israel', not Biden
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that most Democrats favor a presidential candidate who does not give military aid to "Israel", as opposed to the current US President Joe Biden ahead of the November elections.
The poll demonstrated that 56% of respondents who identified themselves as Democrats said they would vote for someone who doesn't supply military assistance to "Israel" as opposed to 40% who said they would.
Axios reported earlier, citing four US officials, that the White House has requested the State Department and the Pentagon to provide the list of all weapons transfers to "Israel" that are planned or are awaiting approval in the coming weeks.
The White House is attempting to get its hands on a full accounting of the government's weapons assistance amid growing criticism and pressure across the American political spectrum for its unwavering support for the war on Gaza, which has left close to 40,000 Palestinians martyred.
The officials claim this does not mean the White House may suspend any weapons transfers, as they emphasized that the Biden administration does not intend to restrict military aid to the occupation this time.
One US official claimed that the request is meant to check and compare it with a list "Israel" provided to the Biden administration that shows the weapons systems it is prioritizing.
