Shaheen Called for Increased Humanitarian Aid and a De-Escalation in Violence, Israel Defied Her
Washington, DC — One month ago, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) called on the U.S. and allies to “take all steps to get humanitarian aid to those who need it in Gaza” and said “I strongly urge Israel to abide by its humanitarian commitments.” Shaheen’s statement followed the Biden administration’s warning that Israel had 30 days to increase the amount of humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza or risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding. Since then, leading humanitarian groups issued a scorecard comprehensively demonstrating that not only did Israel fail to provide this aid, it also took actions to worsen the conditions on the ground leading to famine-like conditions for 800,000 civilians in Gaza. Israel has also defied Sen. Shaheen’s warning “that Israel should not move into Rafah.” Additionally, Shaheen joined Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to call for a de-escalation of violence in the region.
This week, the U.S. Senate will vote on Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) that could block transfers of certain offensive weapons to the Israeli military. On Monday, Sen. Van Hollen announced he would support the disapproval resolutions. 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. Shaheen, when will enough be enough? You admirably called on Israel to allow needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. You warned Israel not to move into Rafah. You have repeatedly called for a de-escalation in violence in Gaza and Lebanon. On all counts, Israel has defied your warnings and instead is actively encouraging violence and famine-like conditions in Gaza. We call on you to show the courage of your convictions and hold Israel accountable by supporting the resolutions to block the transfer of U.S. offensive weapons.”