Calls to suspend military aid to Israel gain strength in US Democratic ranks

Something is changing in American policy toward Israel. The firm support of the Democratic majority for Israel in the war in Gaza is crumbling and there are increasingly more, and higher-ranking, voices demanding a suspension of military aid to the allied country, in a trend that has been accentuated since the massacre of seven aid workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Monday. Now, the highly respected former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and dozens of congressmen have sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to urge them to take that step, something unthinkable at the beginning of the conflict.

That Pelosi has joined the signatures shows that opposition to the shipment of weapons has ceased to be an exclusive position of the most progressive wing and is beginning to spread within a party that has always shown its closeness to Israel. In the midst of growing unrest over the high number of Palestinian civilian victims in the Israeli offensive, which already exceeds 33,000 according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, and the specter of famine in the Strip, the attack against the aid workers appears to have been the straw that has broken the camel's back.

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“In light of the recent attack against aid workers and the humanitarian crisis that continues to worsen, we believe that it is unjustifiable to approve these arms transfers,” the letter states. In addition to Pelosi, the text is signed by 39 other Democratic congressmen, including representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barbara Lee and Rashida Tlaib, the only legislator of Palestinian origin in the US Congress.

The United States transfers more than $3.8 billion in military assistance to its great ally in the Middle East every year. The same day that the bombing was launched against the aid workers, the US Government gave its approval to a new shipment of weapons to Israel, including more than 2,000 bombs of various tonnage and 25 F-35 fighter-bombers, according to the

Washington Post

. The Biden Administration is also considering another arms transfer worth $18 billion, which, according to US media, could include F-15 fighters.

The letter calls for a US investigation into the attack on World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers. The Israeli investigation found “serious errors,” but does not clarify why the troops “did not understand” that the three bombed vehicles belonged to the NGO, since they bore the large-sized logo and had notified the Israeli forces of their route. Nor does it explain why the attack continued when it was clear that the survivors who were trying to protect themselves by changing vehicles were not armed.

“Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu has stated that this was a 'tragic case in which forces attacked innocent people.' If that is true, it is a shockingly unacceptable mistake. “We strongly urge his Administration to carry out a thorough investigation into this attack,” urge the signatories of the letter.

The letter is the latest, but not the only, call from Democratic lawmakers to stop military aid, or at least impose conditions. This week, Senator Chris Coons, very close to Biden and one of Israel's greatest supporters in the US Congress, pointed out in statements to CNN that the point has been "reached" to take action on this assistance. Furthermore, last month, the leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Charles Schumer, a Jew and avowed supporter of Israel, called for elections in the allied country to replace Netanyahu.

The White House had maintained, until now, that military aid was not touched. But the bombing against the aid workers has shocked the presidential office, where what the spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, described as “weeks and months of frustration” about Israeli methods in the war in Gaza had already accumulated. This week, for the first time, Biden openly warned Netanyahu in a telephone conversation of changes in US support if Israel does not take steps to expand humanitarian aid, reduce civilian casualties and agree to an immediate ceasefire. Although it is not clear whether these changes would affect the transfer of weapons.

Israel has responded by announcing the opening of two new corridors, through the port of Ashdod and the Eretz border crossing, to northern Gaza, where the need for humanitarian aid is most pressing. “I asked them to do what they are doing,” Biden, an avowed supporter of Israel, told reporters. Are you going to abandon Israel? a reporter asked him. “Is this a serious question?” the president replied.

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