Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Thursday that she would take action to prevent the sale of F-15s to Israel following the killing of seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza earlier this week.
“I believe it is obvious that the Congress needs to act. We have legal tools to use. And as I mentioned, we cannot approve the sale of weapons to a country that is violating our own laws in this matter. This includes access to humanitarian aid,” Warren stated Thursday in an interview with “CNN News Central.”
“This is not just a moral issue, it is also a legal issue. Congress holds responsibility here and I am ready to take that responsibility,” she further added.
Seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen lost their lives on Monday while exiting a storage facility in central Gaza, where they had delivered over 100 tons of food aid. They were in two armored vehicles when the airstrike occurred.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted blame for the deadly strike on Tuesday and stated it was a “tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip.”
The strike took place as the U.S. considers a significant new arms deal with Israel. The U.S. government is weighing the option of selling Israel up to 50 new F-15 fighter jets, 30 AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, and Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, which are tools that can convert unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons.
When asked if she is thinking about introducing a bill to halt arms sales to Israel, Warren remarked, “Actually, let’s put this in a slightly different context. We already have an established U.S. policy in this area.”
CNN anchor Kate Boldan interrupted and asked the Massachusetts Democrat how this policy is enforced and prevents President Biden from approving the sale.
“I believe the best course of action here is for all of us to work together, including the president and members of Congress,” Warren remarked.
The deaths of the aid workers led to strong criticism of Israel’s ongoing military campaign, which has resulted in the deaths of over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza since early October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel has pledged to eradicate the threat posed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas following their unexpected attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, which led to approximately 1,200 deaths and about 250 individuals being kidnapped. Around 100 of these captives were released in a weeklong ceasefire late last year, and an estimated 100 others are believed to still be held in Gaza.
Biden, who stated earlier this week that Israel has “not done enough” to safeguard aid workers and civilians in Gaza, and is expected to engage in discussions with Netanyahu on Thursday.
“I am hopeful that when the President converses with Prime Minister Netanyahu, he will be making it clear that endorsing the actions taken by the prime minister does not… help Israel,” Warren expressed. “He is not ensuring Israel’s security, and he cannot… continue a policy of attempting to isolate the people of Gaza, as this causes Israel to lose support worldwide.”
Warren argued that Netanyahu is solely furthering his personal interests, rather than the interests of Israel as a whole.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) was asked earlier on Thursday when the U.S. should consider changing policy instead of just using “words.”
“I think we’re at that point,” Coons said during an interview on “CNN News Central.” “I think we’re at the point where President Biden has stated and I have stated, and others have stated, if Benjamin Netanyahu were to command the IDF into Rafah at scale, [if] they were to drop 1,000 pound bombs and send in a battalion to go after Hamas and make no provision for civilians or for humanitarian aid, that I would vote to condition aid to Israel.”
