US lawmakers urge Biden to reverse Trump’s pro-Israel policies

Washington (QNN)- Several House Democrats have signed a letter urging US President Joe Biden to reverse the Trump administration’s “abandonment of longstanding, bipartisan United States policy” towards the occupation state of ‘Israel’ and Palestine, including support for a two-state solution.

The letter was sent on Wednesday to the White House and signed by 73 Democrats, calling on the Biden administration to formally withdraw former US President Donald Trump’s proposed Middle East Plan – which Trump named the “deal of the century”.

It also asks that Biden fulfill his administration’s commitment to reopening a separate US consulate in occupied city Jerusalem to serve the Palestinian people.

With a total of eight demands, the Democrats focused on Trump’s policy changes which they said brought Israelis and Palestinians further away from a two-state agreement.

The letter came after the latest Israeli 11-day aggression on the Gaza Strip, which started on May 10 and ended with a ceasefire brokered by mediator Egypt on May 21, killing at least 279 Palestinians, including 69 children and 40 women and injuring 1,910 others.

19 families in the Gaza Strip have been wiped off the population civil registry during Israel’s 11-day aggression, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, including 41 children and 25 women.

More than 90,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes, and much of Gaza’s infrastructure and many residential buildings were completely destroyed or levelled.

It alao came amid Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes and the forced displacement of Palestinian from their homes.

“This outbreak of violence was a painful reminder that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has no military solution and can only be resolved through diplomacy and a negotiated two-state solution that guarantees the civil and political rights, safety, and self-determination of both peoples,” the letter read.

“Toward that end, we urge you to reverse the previous administration’s [policies],” it continued.

To make clear that the United States considers settlements to be inconsistent with international law by reissuing relevant State Department and U.S. customs guidance to that effect, was among the eight demands the Democrats focused on.

The Democrats also called to strongly oppose the forced expulsion via eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem and throughout Palestinian territory.

They also demanded the Biden administration to ensure that all relevant official U.S. documents and communications once again
consistently refer to the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip as “occupied,” and to ensure that all remaining congressionally appropriated aid to the Palestinians is “disbursed without undue delay, following all applicable U.S. laws and vetting standards for
recipients and implementing organizations, and consistently and proactively issue firm public condemnations of specific actions that
violate the rights of either party or undermine the prospects for peace.”

The letter was led by Representatives Gerry Connolly, Peter Welch and Jan Schakowsky.

Representatives Ro Khanna, David Price, Betty McCollum, Marie Newman, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan and Jamaal Bowman were among the signatories to the letter.

Several Jewish lawmakers signed the letter, including Representatives Andy Levin, Jamie Raskin, John Yarmuth, Sara Jacobs, Alan Lowenthal and Steve Cohen.