NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Seattle, Washington, April 5, 2024: In a recent statement, Indian American U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) strongly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza following the tragic deaths of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen. The aid workers were killed amidst ongoing conflict in the region, which has left thousands dead and injured.
“It is clear that Israel is violating international humanitarian law: indiscriminately bombing Gaza — including aid workers, inflicting collective punishment on Palestinians with over 32,000 dead and 75,000 injured, and refusing to allow sufficient humanitarian aid into the country to prevent imminent famine when 100 percent of Gazans are food insecure.”
“The starvation of Palestinians is a man-made crisis, and as the United States continues to send bombs and other military aid into Israel with no conditions, we are complicit. Just seven months ago, Secretary Blinken gave a speech at the United Nations (UN) Security Council extolling the U.S. role in strengthening U.N. Resolution 2417, which states that the intentional starvation of civilians may constitute a war crime, to include a commitment to ‘end the use of famine, starvation, and food as weapons of war. Hunger must not be weaponized.’
“The tragic attack on the World Central Kitchen aid workers is unacceptable. These seven courageous souls join at least 196 other aid workers who have been killed in Gaza in the past six months. And it should not be lost on anyone that every single day, people are dying in Gaza as a result of air strikes, malnutrition, and illness.
“Today, for the first time, we saw a shift from the administration, with President Biden calling for changes to Netanyahu’s approach, saying, future policies ‘will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action’ on addressing the humanitarian crisis and the safety of aid workers. This shift has already resulted in a reported agreement to open up additional border crossings. This action must happen immediately to allow for a dramatic increase of aid trucks to enter Gaza — and must be paired with the President’s call for an immediate ceasefire so aid workers can safely operate.
“Until that time, we cannot continue to send more weapons and offensive military aid to Israel that are used to perpetrate this war on innocent civilians.”
Jayapal first called for a ceasefire in the days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel to allow for the release of all hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
