'Winds Are Shifting': US Lawmakers Criticize Israel in Two Rare Letters
By Ali Harb, The Middle East Eye
14 March 21
A Dozen House members slam range of Israeli policies, and five senators call
on Israel to vaccinate Palestinians in separate letter
S lawmakers from both chambers of Congress have sent letters to the Biden
administration criticising the Israeli government and urging it to vaccinate
Palestinians living under its control.
In two separate letters sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday,
progressive senators and members of the House of Representatives called on
the US administration to resume funding for the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees (UNRWA) and push to ensure the rights of Palestinians.
The documents signal the growing willingness to criticise Israel amongst
Democrats in Congress, a branch of the US government where unquestioning
support for Israel is the norm.
The House letter, signed by 12 legislators and led by Rashida Tlaib and Mark
Pocan, said the State Department should investigate and condemn the recent
demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank by Israeli forces.
"We are greatly heartened that the Biden Administration is opposed to
Israeli annexation; however, Israel's ongoing colonization of the
Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, alongside its demolition of
Palestinian homes, is a form of ongoing, de facto annexation which needs to
be unequivocally opposed by the United States," the House members wrote.
"The message from this Administration must be clear: settler colonialism in
any form - including Israel's settlements in East Jerusalem and the West
Bank - is illegal under international law and will not be tolerated."
'Legally obligated'
The Senate letter, which was signed by five lawmakers - Bernie Sanders,
Elizabeth Warren, Tom Carper, Sherrod Brown and Jeff Merkley - mostly
focused on the inoculation of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.
"As the occupying power under international law, Israel is legally obligated
to provide for the health and well-being of all people under its control,"
the senators said.
Israel, whose vaccination campaign for its citizens is leading the world
per-capita, cites the Oslo Accords to argue that the Palestinian Authority
is responsible for health care in the occupied territories.
The senators wrote that Oslo does "not supersede Israel's responsibilities
under the 4th Geneva Convention". International law states that the
occupying power is responsible for the health of the occupied population,
including "the adoption and application of the prophylactic and preventive
measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and
epidemics".
Moreover, legal experts say that Israel, which regularly violates the Oslo
Accords, controls all the infrastructure needed to import and administer the
vaccines in the West Bank and Gaza.
The House letter voiced concerns about a range of Israeli policies that
lawmakers said violate Palestinians' human rights.
"We remain concerned about Israel's policy of demolishing Palestinian homes
in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem," the lawmakers said.
"We request that the State Department undertake an investigation into
Israel's possible use of US equipment in these home demolitions and
determine whether these materials have been used in violation of the Arms
Export Control Act or any US-Israeli end-use agreements.
"We believe the State Department should condemn Israel's home demolitions in
unequivocal terms and take effective and timely diplomatic action to end
this policy."
Signatories to the letter include freshman Representative Marie Newman who
defeated staunchly pro-Israel Dan Lipinski in a Democratic primary last
year; Jim McGovern, who co-chairs the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission;
Betty McCollum, an outspoken advocate of Palestinian rights; Ilhan Omar; and
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
House members also called on President Joe Biden to officially revoke Donald
Trump's "deal of the century," a plan to end the conflict that was
overwhelmingly rejected by Palestinians for proposing that Israel keep all
of its West Bank settlements and the entire city of Jerusalem.
"We believe that the Biden Administration should officially take this plan
off the table and make clear to Israel and the Palestinian people that no
part of it will constitute the basis for any future US-backed plan," the
letter said.
'Equitable resolution'
For their part, the senators called on the administration to revive hopes of
peace and ensure the security and well-being of both Israelis and
Palestinians.
"The occupation will continue to present problems such as those articulated
above, so we urge the administration to work towards an equitable resolution
to ensure the rights of all people," it said.
"Ultimately these issues will not be fully resolved until both parties agree
to a fair solution that ensures full citizenship rights for both Israelis
and Palestinians."
Beth Miller, government affairs manager at JVP Action, a political advocacy
group linked to Jewish Voice for Peace, said Friday's letters "sign that the
winds are shifting" in the debate around Israel-Palestine in Washington,
underscoring the significance of both documents.
"These letters show that the movement that has been pressuring Congress
around Palestinian rights is finally breaking through," she said.
Still, the Biden administration is yet to voice any criticism of Israeli
government policies, including on the issues of settlements and vaccination.
Blinken has also rebuked the International Criminal Court for deciding to
investigate alleged war crimes committed in Palestine, and the
administration regularly condemns the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to pressure Israel to end abuses
against Palestinians.
"The Biden administration's policy toward Palestine-Israel so far has been
incredibly disappointing," Miller told MEE.
"They have essentially come out against every possible mode of holding the
Israeli government accountable for human rights violations against
Palestinians, and they are sending a really clear signal that they don't
intend on making much of a shift from what Trump's policies were."
But she added that Friday's letters demonstrate the difference between
progressives in Congress and the administration when it comes to the
approach to Palestinians' human rights.
"And that's really important because that's how we build pressure over time
to force the White House to take real action," Miller told MEE.
"And so, it matters that more and more progressives in Congress are
responding to the pressure of the grassroots in their districts who want to
see the Israeli government held accountable for human rights violations
against Palestinians."