US progressive lawmakers push for unprecedented Israel aid restrictions

A group of more than 20 progressive House representatives are pushing for unprecedented new restrictions on US aid to Israel, including calls for specific approval for each transfer to Israel.

The Block the Bombs Act, HR 3565, introduced on 21 May with 22 co-sponsors, is described as aiming "to provide for a limitation on the transfer of defense articles and defense services to Israel".

As Israel's military campaign on Gaza continues, preventing crucial aid from reaching civilians, those behind the bill see the move as an urgent step.

Led by Representative Delia Ramirez of Illinois, the bill is being co-sponsored by Sara Jacobs of California, Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, and Veronica Escobar of Texas, among others.

The bill was highlighted on Thursday with a press conference on Capitol Hill, hosted by Ramirez, who said that over the past two weeks her resolve to pass the bill has been deepened by the continued violence.

"What I know is the bombings must stop. The hostages must be returned. And we must address the hateful anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian, antisemitic rhetoric that denies our shared humanity, and the collective punishment of the Palestinian people must end," said Ramirez, speaking near the Capitol on a sunny day, surrounded by politicians and activists holding signs reading 'Block the Bombs'.

"But instead of moving toward a just peace, in the last few months the [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu government has imposed a humanitarian blockade that has cut off food and aid to more than two million Palestinians. Recently approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip have begun a ground invasion," she said, pointing to the bombings of displaced civilians while they were taking shelter.

Jayapal then took the podium, where she highlighted the significance of the bill, given the close relationship between the US and Israel.

"We have to recognise that we are the ones who are culpable for that horrific situation, because we, the United States' government keeps providing Israel with the weapons to continue this destruction. This has to stop. How many more children will we watch burned in flames?" she asked

"How much more carnage do we have to witness as the Netanyahu government uses US taxpayer-funded weapons to kill Palestinians with impunity?" 

The next speaker was Jan Schakowsky, a longtime progressive House member whose Jewish identity has made her particularly concerned about Israel's human rights record.

"It's an important message that I make as a Jew from the United States, but also someone who has traveled regularly to Israel as well. I am appalled that we are contributing to the death of innocents in Gaza," she said.

"I'm proud to be part of the naysayers who say: Let’s save lives."

If this bill passes, it would be the first time the US Congress preemptively blocks weapons to Israel.