House Democrats Call on Biden To Stop Arms Transfers to Israel

April 9—Thirty-seven House Democrats, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) among them, have signed a letter addressed to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for a halt to weapons transfers to Israel, released last night.

“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 opens. They continue: “If this strike is found to have violated U.S. or international law, we urge you to continue withholding these transfers until those responsible are held accountable. 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.”

Other signers include Representatives Barbara Lee (CA), Rashida Tlaib (MI) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY).