Over 500 Biden campaign staffers demand to hold Israel accountable
Letter calls on US president to take a tougher stance and work to end the ‘occupation, blockade, and settlement expansion,’ and accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing.
More than 500 Democratic staffers who worked on US President Joe Biden’s election campaign have signed a letter calling on him to take a tougher stance on Israel and hold it “accountable for its actions”
“We commend your efforts to broker a ceasefire,” said the letter, signed by campaign staffers.
“Yet, we also cannot unsee the horrific violence that unfolded in recent weeks in Israel/Palestine, and we implore you to continue using the power of your office to hold Israel accountable for its actions and lay the groundwork for justice and lasting peace,” the petition said.
It called on Biden to “work to end the underlying conditions of occupation, blockade, and settlement expansion that led to this exceptionally destructive period in a 73-year history of dispossession and ethnic cleansing.”
Thousands are homeless in the impoverished enclave of Gaza, where a ceasefire on Friday ended deadly Israeli air strikes on the besieged territory and rocket fire out of it towards Israel.
The 11-day conflict claimed the lives of at least 248 Palestinians, including 66 children, while 12 people died in Israel, including one child.