US Democrats Question Sending Arms to Israel Over Gaza

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden's administration has faced calls from within his own Democratic Party to pressure Israel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with some saying they might try to halt military aid if living conditions for civilians do not improve.

- We have to use all the leverage we have. The administration has not used all its leverage to date. I don't know how many more children have to starve before we use all our leverage here, but they really have to do more - Democratic Senator and member of the Foreign Relations Committee Chris Van Hollen told reporters.

Van Hollen and other lawmakers have urged the administration to withhold military aid to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government does not take steps to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The administration has so far refused to set conditions on the aid it sends to Israel.

- How many more homes and shops and schools and kindergartens and hospitals have to be destroyed before we tell Prime Minister Netanyahu that enough is enough - asked Democratic Senator Pete Welch in a speech in the Senate.

Members of the Democratic Party have made calls to the administration at a time when Biden is preparing to deliver a State of the Union address to Congress, where he will present his policy priorities.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has displaced most of the enclave's 2.3 million residents and led to critical shortages of food, water, and medicine.

Some voters, particularly Muslims, have reacted in primaries where Biden is seeking his party's nomination for the presidential election in November by marking their ballots as "uncommitted".

Van Hollen stated that US law does not allow the sale of weapons to countries that block humanitarian aid and warned that he and other representatives might try to halt new arms sales to Israel if the government in Tel Aviv does not commit to resolving the crisis.