Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) accused the Biden administration “of greenlighting the massacre of Palestinians” during a press conference calling for a cease-fire in Gaza on Thursday.
Omar has been outspoken about demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, often voicing concerns about the staggering death toll of civilians and the displacement of more than 1 million Palestinians.
She criticized the Biden administration for approving additional aid to Israel without congressional approval in remarks delivered Thursday alongside other lawmakers, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.), about the anticipated Israeli invasion of Rafah.
“This administration cannot claim to be an honest broker of peace while greenlighting the massacre of Palestinians. The restocking of Israel’s arsenal is not foreign policy. It is state-sponsored violence waged against defenseless families who want to only live in peace,” Omar said.
“If we truly want to uplift humanity to protect … the innocent people of Gaza, to bring hostages safely home, to hold out hope for peace, then we must demand cease-fire now,” she added.
Her remarks come as the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported Thursday that the death toll has surpassed 30,000. Gaza officials also revealed that more than 100 Palestinians were killed in Gaza City on Thursday while attempting to secure critical humanitarian aid.
“Despite the clarity surrounding Gaza’s despair, the response from political leaders has been nothing short of callous inaction. Empty rhetoric about human rights ring hollow when no action follows. This administration’s policies fail to meaningfully pressure Israel through restrictions, sanctions or any hint of consequence,” Omar said.
The U.S. has warned Israel against an anticipated invasion of Rafah, where an estimated 1.4 million civilians are estimated to be seeking refuge, without an effective plan to protect civilians. Bush also demanded a cease-fire in Gaza in her remarks Thursday, suggesting that the Biden administration was “complicit” by providing weapons to Israel.
“The majority of voters in this country want a cease-fire, including 77 percent of Democrats, and the majority of the world wants a cease-fire. People in this country do not want to be complicit in the atrocities that are happening in Gaza. We don’t want that. Not on our watch. And we’ve said it over and over again: Not on our watch, and not on our dime,” Bush said.
“How many Palestinian deaths must our country be complicit in killing before the violence ends? How many Palestinian children must die before we stop bear-hugging Netanyahu’s extremist far-right government with our taxpayer-sponsored bombs and weapons? How many Palestinian families must be destroyed before we stop enabling these war crimes? How many more before Biden will act with the full leverage of the U.S. government to facilitate a lasting cease-fire to end the violence and save lives?” she added.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.