Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and 20 other Democratic congresspeople submitted a resolution for the US to officially recognize that Israeli military operations in Gaza since October 2023 constituted a genocide against Palestinians.
The resolution, presented on Friday, would declare US policy as set toward ceasing the transfers of military equipment to Israel due to concerns that a supposed genocide was underway.
The US would have to ensure that individuals and corporations within US jurisdiction were not aiding, assisting, or inciting the alleged genocide, according to the text of the bill, and violators would be investigated and prosecuted. Other persons and corporations involved in the supposed crimes would be targeted with sanctions.
Tlaib and the other Democrats sought a shift in US policy in international forums, hoping to use its vote at the United Nations to punish alleged criminals and prevent further development of the alleged genocide. If the bill were to pass, the US would cooperate with the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s office investigations and lift all sanctions it has leveled against ICC personnel.
To meet Palestinian humanitarian needs, the bill would see that the US would fund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The resolution alleged a litany of crimes by the Israeli military and government, claiming that civilians and civilian objects had been targeted in Gaza on a wide scale, and humanitarian aid had been denied as a means to starve the populace.
Rashida Tlaib claims 'genocide' continues despite Israel-Hamas ceasefire
Tlaib said that the “genocide” was still ongoing, and clashes between Israel and Hamas had continued since the October 10 ceasefire had come into effect.
“Impunity only enables more atrocity,” Tlaib said in a press release. “As our government continues to send a blank check for war crimes and ethnic cleansing, Palestinian children’s smiles are extinguished by bombs and bullets that say made in the USA. To end this horror, we must reject genocide denial and follow our binding legal obligations under the Genocide Convention to take immediate action to pursue justice and accountability to prevent and punish the crime of genocide. We must hold individual perpetrators and complicit corporations to account. We must stop sending weapons to a genocidal military. We must follow international law and use all means available to us, including sanctions, to bring this genocide to an end.”
Notable congresspeople supporting Tlaib’s bill included Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rep. Ilhan Omar.
The legislation was also backed by over 100 Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, progressive, and human rights organizations, including American Muslims for Palestine, Amnesty International USA, Code Pink, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and The Hind Rajab Foundation.
Jewish Voice for Peace Action accused Israel of being a “full partner” in the alleged genocide, supposedly shielding Israel from “accountability in the international arena.
“Congresswoman Tlaib and the original co-sponsors joining her on this historic resolution are making clear that this complicity must come to an end,” said JVP Action political director Beth Miller. “These representatives are heeding the call of the overwhelming majority of Americans who want to see an end to his genocide and a halt to US support for war crimes.”