Hawzah News Agency- “Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas,” Sanders wrote. “Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people''.
an independent UN commission of experts concluded that Israel’s actions “meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide convention”.
“I agree'', Sanders wrote in a statement on his Senate webpage titled, ‘It Is Genocide'. “The intent is clear”.
Sanders cited the casualty figures: at least 65,000 Palestinians killed and 164,000 wounded out of a population of 2.2 million, with figures from an Israeli military database suggesting that 83% of those killed were civilians.
He also pointed to Israeli officials’ statements as proof of intent, quoting defense minister Yoav Gallant calling Palestinians “human animals” and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich vowing “Gaza will be entirely destroyed”.
“We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people'', he wrote. “Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, a massive surge of humanitarian aid facilitated by the UN, and initial steps to provide Palestinians with a state of their own''.
''I believe the Israeli government is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people'', Balint wrote in an op-ed in the Courier.
Last week, Democratic senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley unveiled a report following their recent trip to the Middle East, where they say they’ve come to the “inescapable conclusion” that ethnic cleansing is being committed in Gaza and that the United States is complicit.
The statement also comes as several countries including Australia, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Canada and the UK plan to recognize Palestinian statehood at next week’s UN general assembly in New York.
Still, the Trump administration has backed Israeli actions since coming into office. In March, the White House said Trump “fully supports” Israel’s operations in Gaza .
Now, the independent lawmaker called again for ending US military aid to “[Benjamin] Netanyahu’s genocidal government” and demanded an immediate ceasefire.
Source: The Guardian
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