Israel Repeatedly Defied Reed’s Calls for Increased Humanitarian Aid to Gaza
Washington, DC — Last year, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) issued a joint statement with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) saying that U.S. assistance to Israel “must be consistent with our interests and values and used in a manner that adheres to international humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict, and U.S. law” and that this assistance “has never come in the form of a blank check – regardless of the recipient.” On Monday, Sen. Van Hollen announced that he will support Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) to block transfers of certain offensive weapons to the Israeli military. The Senate is expected to vote on the resolutions this week.
Demand Progress is leading a coalition of 56 other progressive, faith-based, humanitarian, and foreign policy advocacy groups calling on senators to hold Israel accountable by voting to support the disapproval resolutions. The following is a statement from Cavan Kharrazian, senior policy advisor at Demand Progress:
“Sen. Reed joined Sen. Van Hollen to say that U.S. support for Israel must never be a blank check. In response, Israel has consistently blocked the flow of humanitarian aid, attacked aid delivery workers and created famine-like conditions for 800,000 civilians in Gaza. It’s now time to revoke Israel’s blank check. Sen. Reed needs to back up his words and join Sen. Van Hollen by voting to support the resolutions blocking the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel.”