1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I know that dozens of Democratic lawmakers on Friday sent a letter to President Biden urging him to enforce a national security memorandum that requires U.S. arms recipients to provide assurances that they are acting in compliance with international humanitarian law. The lawmakers who sent it said, in part, “We believe that despite recent advancements, there is sufficient evidence that Israel’s restrictions on the delivery of US-backed humanitarian aid violate Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, and therefore call into question the assurances Israel provided pursuant to National Security Memorandum 20.” They go on to urge President Biden to enforce NSM-20, including the underlying law, Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, and add that “We believe that a famine in Gaza is harmful to Israel’s own security interests, both in the immediate and the long term. Allowing famine to take hold in Gaza is already severely damaging the Israeli government’s international standing and harming prospects for peace.” I agree wholeheartedly with all of the above. Stopping the famine in Gaza must be prioritized, and if Netanyahu is hampering those efforts he needs to face sanctions. Getting the hostages out and achieving an immediate ceasefire must be the other priorities. Both Netanyahu and Hamas’s leadership must be forced to negotiate until these ends are reached. The U.S. has leverage no one else does. We must use it to end this ghastly war and the attendant suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis. Thanks.