Posted on 03/12/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
A group of eight US Senators from the Democratic party sent a letter to US President Joe Biden yesterday demanding that he end the provision of weapons to Israel as long as restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza exist, the New York Times reported.
The signatories to the letter included Senator Bernie Sanders.
The Senators wrote in the letter, “We urge you to make it clear to the Netanyahu government that failure to immediately and dramatically expand humanitarian access and facilitate safe aid deliveries throughout Gaza will lead to serious consequences, as specified under existing U.S. law."
The letter does not call for an end to the provision of defensive materials to Israel, such as the Iron Dome missile defense system.
Sanders has accused Israel of violating American law and agreements with the US in restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israel has repeatedly denied that it is restricting the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza. Last month, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said in response to such claims that "Israel does not limit the amount of humanitarian aid sent to Gaza."
It has also been noted that Israel has allowed greater numbers of trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza in recent months than entered before Hamas started the current war on October 7.
Israel has noted that the primary reason much of the humanitarian aid is not reaching the civilians of Gaza is that Hamas often steals the aid for itself, often selling the aid that was meant to be given out for free at massively inflated prices.