- ‘I want that to sink in. Kids in Gaza are now dying from the deliberate withholding of food … That is a war crime’
- Speaking on the Senate floor Monday, the Maryland senator said aid should be conditioned to adhering to international law
- The White House has said there are no indications that there have been ‘deliberate’ efforts to commit war crimes by the Israeli Defense Forces
Democratic Sen. Chris van Hollen tore into Israel for ‘textbook war crime’ on Monday evening after a visit to the region – but still voted to fund its war on Hamas.
The Maryland senator said any U.S. aid should be conditioned to adhering to international law. He referenced an analysis from the World Food Program and the United Nations Children’s Fund detailing starvation in Gaza due to Israel’s siege against Hamas in the territory.
‘I want that to sink in. Kids in Gaza are now dying from the deliberate withholding of food,’ he said on the Senate floor Monday during deliberations on a $95 billion foreign aid bill.
‘In addition to the horror of that news, one other thing is true. That is a war crime. It is a textbook war crime. And that makes those who orchestrate it, war criminals.’
The White House, which backed the aid package, has said there are no indications that there have been ‘deliberate’ efforts to commit war crimes by the Israeli Defense Forces.
And hours later, Van Hollen discarded his concerns and proceeded to vote for the $95 billion package that offers $61 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.
It also provides $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine and other conflict zones around the globe.
Democratic Sen. Chris van Hollen tore into Israel for ‘textbook war crime ‘ on Monday evening after a visit to the region – but still voted to fund its war on Hamas
The deal passed 70-29, but Speaker Mike Johnson has insisted it won’t come up for a vote in the House without border security provisions.
Van Hollen said he had spoken with Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Program and wife of late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., about the report.
‘I sent her a note, a text message asking about reports that some children have now crossed the awful threshold from being on the verge of starvation or dying of starvation. She wrote back, and I quote, ‘This is true. We are unable to get in enough food to keep people from the brink. Famine is imminent. I wish I had better news.’ End quote.’
Last week conservatives rejected a similar deal with immigration provisions attached which they said do not go far enough to secure the southern border.
Speaking on the Senate floor Monday, the Maryland senator said aid should be conditioned to adhering to international law
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Hasouna family house, which was struck by an Israeli airstrike during an operation to rescue two hostages in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024
Destroyed houses during an Israeli military operation in Al Bureije refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 13 February 2024
Van Hollen said Biden ‘must demand’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government ‘immediately allow more food and water and other life-saving supplies into Gaza.’
He has also urged President Biden to ‘speak out more clearly’ on the piling civilian casualties in Gaza.
‘I don’t know if it’s hurting the president with fellow Democrats. I do think it’s important that the president speak out more clearly on this issue,’ Van Hollen said in an interview on CBS News’s ‘Face the Nation’ in November.
