40 Democratic congressmen, including Pelosi, signed a letter to Biden: calling on the United States to stop sending weapons to Israel

Source: Global Times New Media

According to reports from the US Axios News Network and Reuters, after the Israeli military air strikes on the Gaza Strip resulted in the death of seven aid workers from the charity organization “World Central Kitchen”, on April 5, local time, including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 40 Democratic congressmen in the United States jointly sent a letter to US President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, calling on the United States to stop sending weapons to Israel.

According to Reuters, Pelosi is a senior member of Biden’s Democratic Party. She supports the United States stopping the shipment of weapons to Israel, indicating that this view is increasingly becoming the mainstream opinion of the Democratic Party. The American Axios News Network stated that this move represented a major rupture in the relationship between the United States and Israel, highlighting the deepening rift between the American Democratic Party and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Screenshot of a report by Axios News Network in the United States

According to reports, these lawmakers mentioned in their letter that Biden recently decided to authorize the transfer of a batch of weapons worth billions of dollars to Israel, which is said to include more than 1,800 MK-84 bombs and more than 500 MK-82 bombs, and 25 F-35A fighter jets and supporting engines. The letter pointed out that a single MK-84 bomb weighing up to 2,000 pounds can kill or injure people thousands of feet away from the explosion point. This type of bomb has been associated with many mass casualty incidents in the Gaza Strip. The letter also mentioned that the Biden administration is reportedly considering authorizing the sale of dozens of U.S.-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel, with the total transaction expected to exceed $18 billion.

“Given the recent attacks on aid workers and the worsening humanitarian crisis, we do not believe that approving the transfer of these weapons is justified,” the letter reads. The letter also calls for an Israeli airstrike on a “World Central Kitchen” convoy that killed aid workers. The death will be investigated independently. Before the letter was made public, the Israel Defense Forces released preliminary findings.

The Israeli military issued a statement on the 5th, saying, “The attack on the aid vehicle was a serious mistake, stemming from misidentification of the target, poor decision-making and violation of standard operating procedures.” Based on this, two senior officers of the Israel Defense Forces were dismissed. , and many senior military officers received formal reprimands.

The US Axios News Network stated that as more and more Democratic lawmakers question the authenticity of the Israeli military’s internal investigation results, they called for an independent investigation in their letters. “If this attack is found to have violated U.S. or international law, we urge you (referring to Biden) to continue to withhold these (weapons) transfers until the perpetrators are held accountable,” the letter read. Reuters mentioned that Biden said in a phone call with Netanyahu on the 4th that Israel needs to take more measures to protect civilians, otherwise the United States will change its policies.

Pelosi issued a statement after the attack on aid workers, calling on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and said her main concern was accountability for the incident, her office said. Her spokesperson told Axios News: “Pelosi is sympathetic to some of the ideas in the letter and she feels strongly that there must be a full, independent investigation into the brutal killings of the heroes at World Central Kitchen…Pelosi knows President Biden She respects his judgment on what to do next, with her support for Israel and sympathy for the innocent civilians of Gaza.”

Reuters stated that Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip have received increasing international criticism. According to data from the Gaza health department, more than 33,000 people died in the conflict and almost all of the local population of 2.3 million were displaced. The United Nations has previously warned of impending famine in the Gaza Strip. A United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report released on March 18 stated that famine may break out among the population in the northern Gaza Strip at any time from now to May, and will spread to the entire population by July. Gaza Strip.