US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said that the Biden administration gave the green light for the Israeli occupation's genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, describing Washington's arms aid to the occupation as "state-sponsored violence".

During a press conference on Thursday with US lawmakers, Omar voiced concerns about the high death toll of Palestinian civilians and the number of internally displaced civilians. 

Omar criticized the Biden administration for approving additional aid to "Israel" without congressional approval, stressing that "this administration cannot claim to be an honest broker of peace while green-lighting the massacre of Palestinians. The restocking of Israel's arsenal is not foreign policy. It is state-sponsored violence waged against defenseless families who want to only live in peace." 

The US lawmaker stressed that “Ii we truly want to uplift humanity to protect … the innocent people of Gaza, to bring hostages safely home, to hold out hope for peace, then we must demand cease-fire now.”

My heart breaks as the crisis in Gaza worsens. 1.5 million terrified Palestinians crowded into Rafah, attacked relentlessly.

My constituent's family in Gaza was harassed and arrested. For the sake of our humanity – ceasefire now! pic.twitter.com/DEqnZINIlN

— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) February 29, 2024

She expressed her disappointment with the US and the world's response to the Israeli atrocities, highlighting that empty rhetoric about human rights without any meaningful action is unacceptable. 

'Biden's policies not effective'

The congresswoman said that the Biden administration's policies lack effective pressure on "Israel" and fail to deter the occupation from the ongoing aggression against Palestinians. 

She added, “Despite the clarity surrounding Gaza’s despair, the response from political leaders has been nothing short of callous inaction; empty rhetoric about human rights rings hollow when no action follows."

“This administration’s policies fail to meaningfully pressure Israel through restrictions, sanctions or any hint of consequence," she said, adding that "each war crime and violation compiled by journalists, human rights groups, and UN agencies are bearing witness. And still, I ask where is the accountability for these crimes."

Calls for candidate against financial aid to 'Israel'

Earlier on Thursday, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 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.

This comes as Biden faces backlash in his own party for supporting "Israel's" genocide in Gaza, as a hypothetical poll shows he is tied at 36% with Republican opponent and former President Donald Trump.