Over 400 political appointees and staff members sent a letter to US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, protesting his support of Israel’s war on Gaza, The New York Times reported.
The letter, according to the NYT, “calls on the president to seek an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and to push Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the territory”.
It is reportedly the “latest of several protest letters from officials throughout the Biden administration, including three internal memos to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.”
The signatories are anonymous, out of “concern for our personal safety and risk of potentially losing our jobs,” the letter explains.
NYT: Hundreds of ##US agency employees protest #Biden's support for #Israel.
FOLLOW OUR LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/ZtDvnogDEa https://t.co/LP50kd2DgW
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 14, 2023
“We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the letter states, according to the NYT, which received a copy.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans support a cease-fire,” the letter states, linking to a poll from October that shows that 66 percent of Americans, including 80 percent of Democrats, believe the United States should put pressure on Israel for a cease-fire,” the letter reportedly continues, adding:
“Furthermore, Americans do not want the U.S. military to be drawn into another costly and senseless war in the Middle East.”
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel has, thus far, killed over 11,360 Palestinians, including 4,609 children and 3,100 women. The number of wounded has reached 28,200.
13 Palestinians have been killed in a new massacre carried out by Israeli occupation forces in Khan Yunis.https://t.co/MZMBhuVgH7 pic.twitter.com/yfEVCQNzk3
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 14, 2023
The Israeli army continues to pound civilian homes throughout the Gaza Strip with new massacres reported everywhere in the besieged enclave.
Gaza has been under a tight Israeli military siege since 2007, following a democratic election in occupied Palestine, the results of which were rejected by Tel Aviv and Washington.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
