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Progressive Democratic lawmakers are calling on President Biden to follow through on his vow to withhold aid to Israel following a military strike in Rafah that killed at least 45 Palestinian civilians.
The Israeli Defense Force conducted a strike Sunday night intended to target a Hamas compound, which led to a fire and dozens of civilian deaths at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret for the deaths of uninvolved civilians, calling the deadly fire “a tragic accident.”
Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. are calling foul and saying Israel’s actions in Rafah violate President Biden’s warning to Israel not to conduct a major assault on Rafah.
“I’ve made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone into Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with the problem,” Mr. Biden said in a CNN interview earlier this month.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat and a member of “the Squad,” said Israel’s Sunday night strike was conducted “in open defiance” of Mr. Biden’s red line as she called the deaths of innocent civilians in the tent camp “an indefensible atrocity.”
“It is long past time for the President to live up to his word and suspend military aid,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez posted on X.
Rep. Greg Casar also posted on X urging Mr. Biden to “announce an end to all bomb ships” to Israel.
Several other progressive Democrats also condemned the incident in Rafah and blamed Israel but did so without comment about halting aid to the Jewish state.
Rep. Jim McGovern, Massachusetts Democrat, disagreed with Mr. Netanyahu’s attempt to frame the incident as a tragic accident.
“It is an outrageous and inexcusable violation of international humanitarian law,” he said on X. “I once again call on all parties for an immediate ceasefire to protect the lives of innocent civilians.”
Mr. “Netanyahu’s admission that the horrific strike on a camp in Rafah was an ‘accident’ demonstrates exactly why @POTUS warned him against attacks where displaced Palestinians were taking refuge,” Rep. Veronica Escobar, Texas Democrat, wrote on X. “The carnage is devastating and must end immediately.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell pointed blame squarely at Mr. Netanayhu, saying his “reckless prosecution of Hamas has killed Israeli hostages, aid workers, and innocent Palestinians.”
“And nothing changes,” the California Democrat wrote on X. “The same tactics by the same leaders will only produce same or worse results.”
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