Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal commended President Biden's recent comments warning to halt arms supply to Israel if it procceeds with an all out invasion on Rafah, a city in the south Gaza strip, that is a Hamas stronghold.
“This is a significant and unprecedented shift in policy that many Members of Congress, myself included, along with hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. and around the world have been advocating for,” Jayapal said on X.
Her comments come after President Biden issued a firm warning for its ally in a CNN inyerview in which he pledged to cease weapon supply if Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu proceeds with the invasion.
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I commend President Biden for publicly stating that the U.S. will not supply Israel with weapons if they launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah that hits the population centers.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) May 9, 2024
Read my full statement pic.twitter.com/Gql4w7YRSw
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden told CNN. “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone in Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem.”
In response to his interview addressing the conflict, Jayapal expressed support for Biden's commitment not to provide weapons to Israel should they undertake a full-scale invasion of Rafah targeting civilian populations.
Jayapal highlighted a recent congressional effort, citing a joint letter led by herself and Rep. Madeleine Dean, signed by 55 House colleagues, urging the President to withhold certain offensive military aid from Israel to prevent a large-scale assault on Rafah.
The congresswoman emphasized that defensive military assistance, particularly aid like the Iron Dome that protects Israeli citizens from Hezbollah or Iran, would continue to be provided by the United States.
“I commend the President for heeding this call to ensure we protect innocent Palestinian lives and refuse to supply weapons to ensure no more civilians in Gaza are killed as a consequence of U.S. bombs. This is an important turning point in this war and, as the President himself said, he has heard the protestors across this country,” Jayapal said in a statement
She further said that the U.S. must work towards making the ceasefire a reality and “build a path towards security for both Israelis and Palestinians to live with peace.”
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