‘Condemn Israel,’ demand 500 Biden staffers in open letter to president

The letter accuses Israel of human rights abuses ranging from apartheid to ethnic cleansing.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Over 500 current and former campaign staffers for U.S. President Joe Biden signed an open letter on Tuesday calling for the head of state to “hold Israel accountable” for its actions during Operation Guardian of the Walls.

The letter accuses Israel of human rights abuses ranging from apartheid to ethnic cleansing, listing Sheikh Jarrah as an example of these alleged Israeli practices.

Because Biden tweeted last month that he is committed to the global struggle for human rights, the group said he has a unique responsibility “to unequivocally condemn Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians.”

While there is a brief mention of “Hamas rockets killing Israeli civilians,” the letter primarily focuses on Israel’s alleged wrongdoings.

The authors cite the lower rate of Israeli casualties during the conflict as “demonstrative of Israel’s power over Palestinians and its penchant for disproportionate responses.”

“We are deeply concerned that Israel continues to use U.S.-funded military equipment to kill civilians, target journalists, and violently suppress protests in Israel, the West Bank, and Jerusalem,” the group writes.

Suggesting that the Israeli authorities condone Jewish rioting, the letter urges Biden to “take action to protect Palestinians in Israel subject to ongoing violent attacks by Israeli mobs that operate with the protection of Israeli police.”

The letter did not mention that the victims of mob violence in Israel are disproportionately Jews who are attacked by Arabs, such as Lod resident Yigal Yehoshua, who was killed by rock throwers last week.

Biden should also “investigate whether Israel’s most recent assault on Gaza violates the Leahy Law, prohibiting U.S. military aid from funding foreign military units implicated in the commission of gross violations of human rights.”

The U.S. president must enact consequences on Israel, the letter reads, because “returning to the status quo is untenable, as it deprives Palestinians of peace, security, and self-determination.”

During the conflict, several far-left Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) and Rashida Tlaib (MI) attempted to exert pressure on Biden to blame Israel for the fighting.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel Tuesday and will meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to strengthen the ceasefire.