22 Apr. 24
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Sunday said that the GOP-led House of Representatives has made itself ‘complicit in genocide’ after voting to approve more than $17 billion in unconditional military aid for the Israeli government despite its ongoing campaign of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. CAIR also called on the Senate to amend the legislation.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said: “The House’s decision to ignore the American people by sending $17 billion in unconditional military aid to fund Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government is a reprehensible decision that will stain the legacy of this Congress. This blank check, backed by President Biden and both Republican and Democratic leaders, enables more genocidal violence against Palestinians and imposes further restrictions on aid to those very same Palestinians.
“We applaud the lawmakers in the House who voted ‘no’ in opposition to funding the Israeli government’s war crimes in Gaza. The 366 other House lawmakers who approved the package have, put simply, made the House complicit in genocide. It is now up to the Senate to amend this legislation or risk making our nation fully responsible for the genocidal crimes that Benjamin Netanyahu plans to commit with new bombs and bullets.
“CAIR urges every American to call on the Senate to reject any approval of this unconditional blank check for genocide in Gaza. The world is watching, and history will judge our actions accordingly.”
CAIR notes that this new aid package would offer $9.2 billion in general humanitarian assistance, including emergency food and shelter, that includes various restrictions designed to make it difficult for Palestinians to receive aid. The package has a provision continuing a prohibition on any U.S. funds being allocated to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is a key gateway for providing aid to Palestinians, even though numerous other nations have resumed funding to UNWRA after the Israeli government failed to substantiate its allegations against the longstanding organization.
McCaw noted CAIR recently condemned the Biden administration’s veto of a U.N. resolution that could have resulted in full United Nations membership for the State of Palestine. The Security Council voted 12 in favor, with the United States opposed and two nations abstaining.
According to recently leaked State Department cables reported by The Intercept, the White House privately messaged opposition to Palestinian statehood to U.N. Security Council members, contradicting Biden’s stated commitment to a two-state solution.
