A group of 20 Members of Congress from the Democratic Party on Tuesday wrote a letter calling on the Biden administration to suspend offensive military transfers to the Israeli government.
The letter was spearheaded by Representatives Greg Casar (D-TX) and Summer Lee (D-PA), who are members of the so-called “Squad” of anti-Israel Democrats, with 18 other Members of Congress joining.
The letter follows the Biden administration’s October 13, 2024 letter to then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer that identified steps the Israeli government must take in order for continued transfers of offensive weapons to be in accordance with US law and policy.
The 20 lawmakers who signed the letter argue that the Israeli government has failed to meet those humanitarian standards and are asking US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to follow their own standards that they publicly established.
“We believe continuing to transfer offensive weapons to the Israeli government prolongs the suffering of the Palestinian people and risks our own national security by sending a message to the world that the US will apply its laws, policies, and international law selectively,” the members wrote.
“Furthermore, a failure to act will put Israeli lives in danger by prolonging Netanyahu’s war, isolating Israel on the international stage, and creating further instability in the region… While Israel made nominal progress in some areas, it overwhelmingly failed to meet the minimum standards laid out in the Administration’s own letter.”
“We urge your Administration to adhere to and uphold U.S. law by suspending offensive military transfers to Netanyahu and his government. Failure to do so not only risks our leverage in ceasefire negotiations, it undermines our country’s own national security and weakens America’s commitment to human rights as a cornerstone of our foreign policy,” the members continued. “We remain committed to saving Palestinian and Israeli lives. This means doing everything possible to prioritize the release of hostages, secure a lasting ceasefire deal, and move toward long term peace.”
Following the October 13 letter, Israeli officials vowed to US counterparts that Israel would take swift action to improve the conditions in Gaza.
The letter gave Israel an ultimatum of 30 days to act to improve the situation in Gaza. When that ultimatum expired, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said that Israel had partially complied with the demands.
Patel stated that while Israel had not complied with all of America's demands, the administration has not “made an assessment that the Israelis are in violation of US law.”