Ocasio-Cortez Joins House Members and Advocates in Calling to Block Bombs to Israel
Press Release
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) joined Members of Congress for a press conference calling for the enactment of the Block the Bombs Act, legislation that would block bombs, tank shells, and artillery rounds to the Israeli government, and prevent the Trump administration from going around Congress to deliver them.
You can find Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks as delivered below:
“The Israeli government has now killed over 64,000 human beings in Gaza. They have massacred civilians indiscriminately, destroyed nearly every hospital, and forced all of Gaza into starvation. And the Israeli government has accomplished almost all of this with U.S. provided bombs.
It is against United States law to provide weapons to forces that commit war crimes. Yet our government in Democratic and Republican administrations has chosen to continue sending American made bombs to an administration carrying out a genocide. The people of Gaza are stitching up their own wounds, because our government has sent the bombs that has killed nearly all of their doctors.
The children of Gaza are starving to death because Donald Trump will also not stand up to Benjamin Netanyahu. It is time for Congress to fulfill its obligations to enforce our own laws and to block the bombs.
It is time for us to fight for a free Palestine, the release of the hostages, and a diplomatic solution to end the cycle of violence. ”
The text of the legislation can be found here.
In May, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez released a statement following reports of the Israeli government blocking humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza. In July, the Congresswoman released another statement urging the Senate to pass Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) resolutions, which would block the Trump Administration’s proposed sale of 1,000-pound bombs, joint direct attack munitions, fully automatic rifles, and other offensive weapons to the Israeli government.
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