FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 25, 2024
Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]
"We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting," Secretary Antony Blinken to Congress, May 10, 2024.
CODEPINK demands the immediate resignation of Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The United States continues to enable Israel's crimes against humanity, and Blinken's lies before Congress are the latest evidence of the Biden administration's complicity. His actions, in stark violation of domestic and international law, directly contributed to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
When confronted with the U.S. Agency for International Development's assessment that Israel was blocking humanitarian aid — an act that should have immediately halted U.S. weapons shipments to Israel — Blinken and the Biden administration deliberately ignored the truth. On May 10, Blinken falsely assured Congress that Israel was not restricting U.S. humanitarian aid. This was after the State Department's own Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) also determined the U.S. had a legal obligation to halt arms transfers. Blinken's lie ensured U.S. taxpayer money would continue to be sent to Israel, and people have died as a result. The blood is on Blinken's hands.
Humanitarian aid is crucial for sustaining life in Gaza. Before Israel's current genocide campaign, around 500 aid trucks entered Gaza daily. In September of 2024, only 67 aid trucks entered Gaza — the lowest number since October 2023. Before that, In April, Human Rights Watch reported the tragic deaths of 32 people, including 28 children, from malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza. That number has continued to grow. These deaths are preventable, but the Israeli government is deliberately pursuing a starvation policy. The Biden administration, instead of taking action to enforce an arms embargo as required by U.S. law, decided to perpetuate these atrocities by providing Israel with the military support it needs to continue its genocidal campaign.
Secretary Blinken's decision to lie to Congress, and thus the American people, is not just a betrayal of trust but a crime. To be clear, Secretary Blinken and other U.S. officials have continuously lied to the public to protect Israel and to excuse the United States' blind support of the genocide in Gaza and the illegal occupation of Israel. By shielding Israel from accountability, Blinken is violating international law and U.S. law. His resignation is the first necessary step for the U.S. to disentangle itself from its role in this inhumane genocide. We call for his resignation and a total arms embargo now. Enough is enough.
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