White House split over Biden’s 'horrific' Israel policy: Report
US President Joe Biden has created discord within the White House over his “horrific” Israel policy amid the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The US "Leahy Laws" prohibit supplying military aid to Washington’s allies if they are committing human rights violations and blocking aid to war victims.
However, the US State Department said on Tuesday American weapons and ammunition supplies to Israelis will continue despite the end of a 30-day ultimatum given to Tel Aviv to take “concrete measures” to stop its violations in Gaza and allow international humanitarian aid through.
Despite the Israeli regime largely ignoring the so-called "30-day deadline", the US withheld a single shipment of 2,000-lb bombs, allowing all other weapons shipments to continue.
Media reports said on Monday that at least 20 White House staffers, who were granted anonymity for fear of reprisals, protested to the Biden administration for failing to follow through on its demand that Israel improve the Palestinians’ conditions.
Since October 2023, nearly 44,000 Palestinians, mostly helpless women and innocent children, have been killed in the continued brutal Israeli onslaught in Gaza.
The protesting White House staffers -- who work across the executive office of the president, but are not directly involved in foreign policy -- called on the outgoing president to play a decisive role in his relations with Israelis.
“You are running out of time to do the right thing, but decisive action could save precious lives in the next two months,” the protesting staffers wrote in an internal government protest letter obtained by US media.
A senior White House staffer explained the reason why they had sent the protest letter was to formally distance themselves from the "legacy of horror" Biden and his administration leave.
“One thing that drew me into this was legacy,” the senior staffer explained. “If the course is continued, it will be a legacy of horror.”
During his time in office, Biden repeatedly uttered “ironclad” support to the Israeli regime, and the Biden administration followed their leader.
In regard to Israel policy, they turned a blind eye to the continued genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza by preventing a ceasefire and backing off an ultimatum to stop military aid to the regime over the rising death toll.
In the meantime, the United Nations agencies and numerous international humanitarian organizations have issued warnings regarding the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza.
The United Nations Special Committee's assessment of the Israeli war on Gaza has been that it is consistent with genocide, reconfirming what had already been repeatedly said by other UN agencies, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The situation is critical. We have days, not weeks, to take decisive action to alleviate these dire conditions. The warnings from humanitarian organizations have been clear and consistent: failure to act will lead to more preventable deaths of civilians," Bart Witteveen, IRC's Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory said.
“The worst-case scenario may already be underway."
Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:
Yemen fires hypersonic missile at Israeli airbase
Germany undecided on complying with ICC arrest warrants for Israeli war criminals
IRGC chief urges Muslim countries to cut aid routes to Israel
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website