Forty members of US Cong urge Biden to cease offensive arms supply to Israel - Letter
Forty members of US Congress, including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have appealed with a joint letter to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to stop the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel after a deadly Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen's (WCK) humanitarian convoy in the Gaza Strip
Forty members of US Congress, including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have appealed with a joint letter to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to stop the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel after a deadly Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen's (WCK) humanitarian convoy in the Gaza Strip.
"We write to express our shared concern and outrage regarding the recent Israeli airstrike which killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including an American citizen. In light of this incident, we strongly urge you to reconsider your recent decision to authorize the transfer of a new arms package to Israel, and to withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed," the letter read.
The members of US Congress also called on Washington to ensure that future military deliveries to Israel, including already authorized transfers, are "subject to conditions to ensure it is used in compliance with U.S. and international law," the letter said.
"We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate – or arbitrarily denies or restricts – the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza," the letter also said.
On Monday, seven World Central Kitchen's aid workers from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Palestine, and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada were killed in the Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian organization suspended its operations in the region after the deadly incident.
The Israel Defense Forces said later this week that it had dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others after completing its investigation into the deadly strike. The inquiry found Israeli forces mistakenly believed they were attacking Hamas gunmen.
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