40 members of Congress urge Biden to stop weapon sales to 'Israel'
3 Min Read
The letter penned by the representatives calls for future military deliveries to "Israel", including already authorized transfers, to be "subject to conditions to ensure it is used in compliance with U.S. and international law."
-
President Joe Biden walks out of the White House as he walks to Marine One for departure from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
A joint letter has been penned by 40 members of the US Congress, among them former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and directed to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a plea to stop the transfer of weapons to "Israel" following last week's strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy that killed 7 workers.
It stated, "We write to express our shared concern and outrage regarding the recent Israeli airstrike which killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including an American citizen. In light of this incident, we strongly urge you to reconsider your recent decision to authorize the transfer of a new arms package to Israel, and to withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed".
It called for future military deliveries to "Israel", including already authorized transfers, to be "subject to conditions to ensure it is used in compliance with U.S. and international law."
"We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate – or arbitrarily denies or restricts – the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza," the letter continued.
Read more: 'Israel' claims WCK workers killed in error after bombing them 3 times
WCK staffers killed by 'Israel'
Seven food aid workers were killed in a triple Israeli strike on their vehicle in Gaza's Deir al-Balah last Sunday. The occupation entity admitted that it was behind the attack, and has received wide condemnation, especially from Western countries, who also demanded an "immediate investigation" into the crime.
However, the United States was not as firm with its remarks, claiming that there is no evidence the entity "deliberately" killed the aid workers, despite the team being struck three consecutive times, each time after they changed the damaged vehicle from the first strike, all during the same 2km trip.
Six of the killed WCK staffers were foreigners and one from Palestine; 25-year-old Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha.
The bodies handed over to the UN included Damian Soból, a 35-year-old from Poland; Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old dual US-Canadian citizen; Lalzawmi Frankcom, a 43-year-old Australian citizen; and three British citizens: John Chapman, 57; James Henderson, 33; and James Kirby, 47.
The WCK announced pausing its humanitarian work in Gaza, and released a statement saying that its "team was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle."
"It’s very complicated to understand. … America is going to be sending its Navy and its military to do humanitarian work, but at the same time weapons provided by America … are killing civilians," WCK founder Jose Andres told Reuters in an interview.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an attempt at soothing public opinion, claimed while smiling in a video release that the targeting of a convoy of the NGO's vehicles was a mere "accident". It should be worth noting that the convoy was struck three times separately.
