Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib join hundreds of world lawmakers calling for an end to Israel arms sales
Washington DC - Congresswomen Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib have joined more than 200 world parliamentarians in committing to trying to end weapons transfers to Israel.
"Our bombs and bullets must not be used to kill, maim, and dispossess Palestinians. But they are: we know that lethal weapons and their parts, made or shipped through our countries, currently aid the Israeli assault on Palestine that has claimed over 30,000 lives across Gaza and the West Bank," the politicians wrote in a statement shared by Progressive International.
"We cannot wait. Following the interim ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Genocide Convention case against the State of Israel, an arms embargo has moved beyond a moral necessity to become a legal requirement," the statement continues.
The more than 200 signatories represent Australia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the UK, and the US.
Bush and Tlaib were the only two Americans to add their names to the pledge, although the US provides billions of dollars to the Israeli military each year.
"Today, we take a stand," the statement reads. "We will take immediate and coordinated action in our respective legislatures to stop our countries from arming Israel."
Israel accused of war crimes and genocide – with US backing
Concern over systematic Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights is growing by the day.
The ICJ in January issued provisional measures against Israel – including ordering the facilitated entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza – as it weighs a landmark genocide case brought by South Africa.
In the meantime, Israeli bombardment has continued unabated, as have plans to move forward with a deadly assault on Rafah, where more than a million forcibly displaced Palestinians are sheltering under increasingly desperate conditions.
The threat of starvation and famine looms as the Israeli siege has blocked the entry of urgently needed food, water, medical supplies, and other humanitarian aid into the territory.
On Thursday, Israeli forced sparked international outrage when they opened fire on Gazans gathered around aid trucks delivering food. The massacre reportedly killed at least 112 people and injured over 750 more.
Many of the weapons Israel has used to kill Palestinians in Gaza originate in the US, with human rights experts warning that continued arms transfers may violate the UN's 1948 Genocide Convention.
President Joe Biden and other top US officials are already facing accusations of complicity in genocide in a groundbreaking lawsuit filed by Palestinians and Palestinian Americans. The case, dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, has been granted an expedited appeal, with oral arguments expected in June.
Cover photo: Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP