Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi joins calls to halt US arms sales to Israel

Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi is speaking during an event awarding House Clerk Cheryl L. Johnson with the 2023 Freedom Award on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/NurPhoto via AP)

Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has joined House Democrat calls to halt US arms sales to Israel, citing the recent strike against aid workers and the spiralling humanitarian situation.

In a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Pelosi and dozens of other congressional Democrats expressed their “shared concern and outrage” over the Israeli airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.

“In light of this incident, we strongly urge you to reconsider your recent decision to authorize the transfer of a new arms package to Israel, and to withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed,” it reads.

The letter acknowledges the Biden administration’s recent efforts to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, but warns they are not sufficient to meet the needs of civilians on the ground.

US Senator Bernie Saunders has also been calling for a halt in military aid.

“The bottom line is, we are looking at one of the worst humanitarian disasters we’ve seen in a very long time,” he told CNN’s The Lead. “To my mind, Israel should not be getting another nickel in military aid until these policies are fundamentally changed.”