Pro-Israeli US lawmaker calls Gaza genocide 'moral failure'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
19 Nov 2023 17:42
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Jewish lawmakers in the United States are increasingly expressing critical views of the Israeli aggression against Gaza, which has resulted in the killing of over 12,000 Palestinians, including at least 5,000 children.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., addresses the Gwinnett County Democratic Party fundraiser in Norcross, Georgia, on May 21, 2022. (AP)

Pro-Israeli US lawmaker Jon Ossoff, who had previously been cautious in his comments on "Israel", made a strong statement on Wednesday, criticizing the civilian casualties and suffering in Gaza caused by the Israeli brutal aggression. He described it as "unnecessary", a "moral failure" and deemed it "unacceptable" to the United States.

Addressing the Senate, Ossoff stated, “The extent of civilian death and suffering in Gaza is unnecessary. It is a moral failure, and it should be unacceptable to the United States.”

".... An unmitigated humanitarian disaster in Gaza… undermines American national security...; it damages the credibility of the United States and our allies as champions of a future defined by humanitarian values,” Ossoff said.

“If in six months Gaza is rubble and tens of thousands of civilians dead and millions of desperate refugees with no viable plan to govern its ruins, that would be a disaster not just for all those killed and wounded and immiserated, but also for Israel, for the region and the United States,” he further stressed.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he urged the political leaders of "Israel" to demonstrate "wisdom" and heed the advice of their greatest friend and ally, the United States.

Commenting on this issue, Israeli media acknowledged the emergence of critical voices from Representatives Becca Balint of Vermont, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, and Georgia's Jon Ossoff, indicating a potential erosion of the longstanding US support even among US lawmakers.

Not an isolated incident

Earlier this week, twenty-four Democratic members of Congress asked Joe Biden to address "grave violations of children's rights" in Gaza by calling for an urgent ceasefire. In a letter seen by The Guardian, lawmakers headed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, and Betty McCollum of Minnesota assert that at least 4,500 children have been murdered and at least 1,700 have gone missing as a result of "Israel's" ruthless onslaught.

In the letter, the lawmakers express "deep concern" about the war, particularly the "grave violations against children," adding that without a ceasefire, the US risks being dragged into numerous conflicts across the region, as well as a further loss of civilian life.

The letter urges an immediate end of hostilities to provide relief to Palestinians, meanwhile stating that the administration "has serious concerns regarding the objectives and consequences of a large-scale ground offensive, and we urge you to press this case directly.”

Over 400 US officials sign letter against Biden's 'Israel' policy

In a letter to President Biden, more than 400 political appointees and employees from over 40 government departments expressed on November 14 their disapproval of his blind support for "Israel" and its war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

The letter urges Biden to push for a ceasefire and pressure "Israel" to allow humanitarian aid and is part of a larger campaign of dissatisfaction with Biden's support for the occupation.

Previously, an open letter was signed by over a thousand employees of the US Agency for International Development, in addition to three internal memos addressed to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, signed by numerous State Department employees.

This comes as the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a complaint in federal court in California, on behalf of several Palestinian groups and individuals, aiming to sue US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for failing their legal obligations to prevent a developing genocide committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip.