A group of Democrat lawmakers in the Texas House are calling on President Joe Biden to “reassess” financial aid to Israel, in light of what they call the “ongoing assault on civilians in Gaza by the Netanyahu government.”
The letter, shared by State Rep. Salman Bhojani (D–Euless) and signed by 10 Democrat House members, criticizes Israel’s response to the war against Hamas.
“The destruction of more than 61% of buildings in Gaza has left the region in a state of devastation. The Texas Democratic Party passed a resolution on December 2, 2023, calling for an immediate ceasefire. Similar resolutions were filed in the Texas Legislature, echoing concerns about this humanitarian crisis. We hope to collaborate with you and your administration to further consider the role of U.S. aid in this dire humanitarian situation,” the letter reads.
The Democrat lawmakers went on to call on the Biden administration to end “unconditional support” to Israel:
As a democracy that values human rights and justice, we are grateful that the Biden and Harris Administration no longer offers unconditional support to the Prime Minister’s government. We support your initiative to reassess the unconditional aid provided to Israel, and we hope to collaborate with you to find meaningful ways to enforce these efforts. We hope that you will not hesitate to halt the provision of offensive weapons in order to prevent any future human rights violations.
Bhojani was joined by the Democrat Chair of the County Affairs Committee, State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado (Dallas), who was placed in the position by House Speaker Dade Phelan last year.
Additionally, Democrat State Reps. Suleman Lalani (Sugar Land), Ron Reynolds (Houston), Ana-Maria Ramos (Richardson), John Bryant (Dallas), Jon Rosenthal (Houston), Vikki Goodwin (Austin), Gene Wu (Houston), and Terry Meza (Irving) signed on to the effort.
The letter comes several months after the Texas Democrat Party officials passed a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and encouraging “all parties to cease hostilities and prioritize the protection of civilian lives” after Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israeli civilians, killing more than 1,200 people.
