“Shameful”: Rashida Tlaib slams Biden administration on Gaza aid, urges Blinken to resign
Washington (Quds News Network)- US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib condemned the Biden administration policies toward Israel during its genocide war in Gaza, calling them “shameful.” She criticized Israel’s actions, accusing it of using starvation as a weapon.
Tlaib highlighted the suffering of Palestinian children and accused the Biden administration of violating US law by continuing to provide weapons to Israel despite humanitarian concerns.
“The Biden Administration has continued to ignore reports from its own experts, international human rights organizations and the United Nations that the Israeli government is blocking humanitarian aid in Gaza, in violation of US and international law,” Tlaib said on Wednesday on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“ProPublica published a detailed account of how the US state department submitted report after report to Congress that contradicted the findings of the Department’s own experts and those of other agencies that the Israeli government is using starvation as a weapon of war,” Tlaib added while displaying a picture of a starving Palestinian child.
“US law is very clear: No nation blocking US humanitarian assistance can receive US weapons. The Biden administration cannot pick and choose when they comply with our own laws.
“Children are forced to eat pet food and bug-infested flour, look at this and do not turn your back on again, being complicit to this war crime, but Blinken says there’s no need to change our own policy. Shameful!” she added.
US law is clear: No nation blocking US humanitarian aid can receive US weapons.
Palestinian children are forced to eat pet food and bug infested flour, but @SecBlinken says there’s no need to change our policy. The Biden administration is refusing to comply with US law. pic.twitter.com/Nfu1LTtl0V
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) November 14, 2024
Tlaib’s remarks came after the State Department said Tuesday that the US would not change its policy on arms transfers to Israel even though the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains dire.
A deadline was set by Washington in an Oct. 13 letter for Israel to ramp up access to aid within 30 days in the besieged Palestinian enclave or risk US military aid.
In a report published on Thursday, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices accused Israel of “using starvation as a method of war”, resulting in “mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions” for Palestinians.
“Since the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that strip Palestinians of the very necessities required to sustain life – food, water, and fuel,” it said.
“These statements along with the systematic and unlawful interference of humanitarian aid make clear Israel’s intent to instrumentalise life-saving supplies for political and military gains.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 43,736 Palestinians and wounded 103,370, the enclave’s Ministry of Health said on Thursday. More than 10,000 Palestinians are missing, believed to be dead and buried under rubble.
Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian Progressive Democrat, was born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrant parents. She has become one of the most outspoken politicians regarding the Israeli occupation of her homeland, Palestine.
